TRT2: Rather Die Than Stay Away
by Kips34
Summary: TWILIGHT READING TWILIGHT #2... The Cullens' home is now filled with curious shape-shifters, imprints and Quileute elders, all desperate to hear the rest of Bella's story. How much can one weekend really change things? And what other secrets does Bella have in her past, waiting to be exposed? READ "TRT1: DYING TO KNOW THE TRUTH" FIRST!
1. Chapter 1 Moving Forward

**TWILIGHT READING TWILIGHT BOOK 2**

 **RATHER DIE THAN STAY AWAY**

 **Copyright Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer is the sole owner of all Twilight Universe intellectual property, including but not limited to Twilight characters, Twilight plotlines, and all included Twilight text. This story is a fanfiction commentary on her work and no copyright infringement is intended. I own nothing.

 **Summary:** The Cullens' home is now filled with curious shape-shifters, imprints and Quileute elders, all desperate to hear the rest of Bella's story. How much can one weekend really change things? And what other secrets does Bella have in her past, waiting to be exposed?

 **Chapter 1 – Moving Forward**

Bella gripped the edge of the sink in the Cullen's bathroom, her hold so tight her knuckles had long since turned white, as she stared into the mirror. Her bloodshot brown eyes stared back at her, puffy and red, but no longer brimming with tears. What little make-up she had had on that morning had run down her cheeks, leaving dark trails of moisture in their wake.

It had been an impossible morning. When she had woken up, she was worried about going to school, and convincing Edward that she was really ok after the disaster of a birthday party she'd had last night… Had that really been just yesterday? It seemed like a lifetime ago now.

But instead of coming downstairs to find Charlie enjoying his rare day off – he had planned to go fishing all day – and getting ready to go to Forks High School like any other Friday, she had been presented with a letter.

Those damned letters from SM had started this whole mess. And in the last seven hours or so, Bella had been forced to expose some of her most tightly guarded secrets, and sit by while her entire family, including her father and his friends from the Quileute reservation, dissected the personal details of her life, line by line.

She had opened up about Sasha, and about Ian, two very painful, complicated aspects of her past that she never intended to share with anyone.

She was emotionally wrecked. And now, she was just trying to pick up the shattered pieces, standing here in the Cullen's bathroom while everyone ate lunch downstairs.

"I can do this," she tried to convince herself, finally releasing her hold on the sink and wiping her blotchy eyes with the backs of her hands, "I need to do this," she revised, and that was enough to finally even out her ragged breathing and settle her growing anxiety. SM had sent all of this as a warning, and she needed to be strong enough to get through it, or all of this would be for nothing. So it didn't matter if she was ready, or comfortable, or even happy; she would go back downstairs and face everyone else, because this was something she had to do.

Downstairs, Esme and Emily were washing the last of the dishes from lunch in the kitchen; Esme was still amazed that the wolves had devoured the massive spread so quickly.

In the living room, Charlie was carrying on a quiet conversation with his lifelong friends, Billy and Harry. Sue sat beside her husband, laughing at something Kim had said. The young imprint was sitting in Jared's lap, her left hand unconsciously drawing random patterns along his muscled forearm. Paul and Sam sat on the sofa opposite them, and Paul was teasing his alpha as his head repeatedly swiveled toward the kitchen, anxious to have his imprint back in his arms.

Jacob was sitting off to the side of the large gathering, deep in thought. He had woken up this morning, his biggest concern in the world being whether or not he'd finished his homework for math, and now, he was surrounded by supernatural creatures, reading books about his best friend's supposed destiny, and trying to wrangle with the fact that very soon he would be a shape-shifting wolf protector, an alpha of a pack of vampire-killing spirit warriors, and technically, the chief of his entire tribe. It had been one hell of a day, and it wasn't even three in the afternoon yet.

"Don't think so hard son, you'll hurt yourself," Old Quil's voice broke his train of thought. The old man had been sitting quietly in the corner since Bella ran upstairs almost an hour ago, just watching everyone silently, and Jacob hadn't even noticed him walk up behind him. "Bella's strong; she'll be ok," the elder continued, trying to give Jacob some small comfort, though even he found it incredible that the young girl could have survived so much in her short life, "And you will too. Don't worry about all of it yet. Things have a way of working out the way they're meant to in the end. I think SM is just trying to make the road a little smoother for us."

Jacob was saved from coming up with a response as the remaining Cullens returned then.

Carlisle had gone to find his children shortly after his wife brought out everyone's lunch. He had seemed worried about them, given how emotional they all were after hearing Bella's tale, but as they all came back inside, most wore mischievous smiles.

Alice was perched on her mate's back, giggling at something their big, burly brother had said just before they walked through the door. Jasper wasn't smiling per say, but he no longer looked like he was in pain. Emmett of course was back to his cheerful, care-free self, and the blonde goddess at his side seemed completely at ease. Carlisle walked in behind them, his perfect calm façade clearly on display, though Jacob suspected he was still worried about Bella.

Edward came in last, looking rather run-down. He had clearly gotten into a brawl or two with his brothers, and probably destroyed half the forest, since he left. While the rest of his family settled back in and started making small talk with the others, surprisingly at ease with the wolves and humans they had welcomed into their home, Edward quietly ducked upstairs to find Bella.

She had made her way out of the bathroom, looking relatively put together, but she hadn't been able to muster the courage to go back down the stairs and face everyone. So, when Edward came up the stairs, he found her leaning against the hallway wall outside the bathroom, eyes closed, looking rather exhausted.

"Bella?" he tried to get her attention, his words just loud enough to alert her to his presence without startling her, "Are you ok?"

She raised her head slowly, opening her eyes, and meeting his concerned gaze with her own fearful one, "No, not really," she answered honestly, her voice breaking at the end.

That was all it took. He was suddenly across the hall, holding her tightly to him, whispering sweet nothings in her ear as she again began to cry silently in his arms. "It's going to be ok, love," he assured her, "I know it doesn't seem that way right now, but everything is going to be ok. You, me, the family, we are all going to be ok."

"I just don't want them to look at me differently," she croaked brokenly, "I don't want their pity, and I'm not broken, Edward. I don't think I could stand it if I walk down those stairs and they all stair at me with that look in their eyes. How am I supposed to get through the rest of this damned book if everyone is walking on eggshells around me all the time?"

"They won't, I promise," he told her, rubbing her back reassuringly, "We all love you Bella, and this morning has been really hard on all of us, but no one is going to treat you any differently because of this."

"But what Ian said…" she trailed off, looking down ashamed. Her lycan brother's words from all those years ago still haunted her every day. They made her feel worthless, and were a serious part of why she never felt good enough for Edward and his family.

Deep down, she knew that what he had said was cruel and untrue, but there was a small part of her that couldn't help fearing that the Cullens would finally realize she didn't belong here with them, and leave just like he had. Just like Jon did. Just like Sasha did. And just like Lucas did…

Edward looked horrified that she believed anything that mutt had said to her that day, "What he said means nothing," he practically growled out, trying to control his rising anger, "He was a bloody fool, and none of us will ever think any less of you because he couldn't see how truly incredible you are."

Five minutes later, a considerably calmer Bella followed him down the stairs and rejoined the family and their guests in the Cullen living room.

This was going to be far from easy for her, but Bella was ready to start putting the ghosts from her past to rest, and if that meant reading SM's work with her family and accepting her mysterious "gifts", then so be it. It was time to move forward, and she was ready to do whatever it took.


	2. Chapter 2 More Invitations

**TWILIGHT READING TWILIGHT BOOK 2**

 **RATHER DIE THAN STAY AWAY**

 **Copyright Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer is the sole owner of all Twilight Universe intellectual property, including but not limited to Twilight characters, Twilight plotlines, and all included Twilight text. This story is a fanfiction commentary on her work and no copyright infringement is intended. I own nothing.

 **Chapter 2 – More Invitations**

"Are we all ready to keep reading?" Carlisle asked, looking at Bella.

"Go ahead Carlisle," she answered quietly. They could all tell she was still emotional and this whole situation was growing more and more difficult for her to deal with, but she was putting on a calm façade for their benefit now, and she honestly wanted to continue reading rather than talk about her past before Forks anymore. Sasha and Ian had been enough ghosts for one day. She didn't think she could handle it if they pushed her to open up about Lucas now.

He knew she was not wholly comfortable continuing, but he respected her choice to continue all the same.

 **"Hey, Eric," I called.**

 **"Hi, Bella."**

 **"What's up?" I said as I was unlocking the door. I wasn't paying attention to the uncomfortable edge in his voice, so his next words took me by surprise.**

 **"Uh, I was just wondering... if you would go to the spring dance with me?" His voice broke on the last word.**

 **"I thought it was girls' choice," I said, too startled to be diplomatic.**

"They really did not get the memo on that one did they Bells?" Jacob teased.

"Not one of them," she agreed, her tone thick with irritation, "I felt like the new kid on the first day of kindergarten, with everyone trying to pull me in different directions in the sandbox." She laughed at her mental image, shaking her head lightly. Those boys really didn't understand the concept of 'not interested'.

 **"Well, yeah," he admitted, shamefaced.**

 **I recovered my composure and tried to make my smile warm. "Thank you for asking me, but I'm going to be in Seattle that day."**

 **"Oh," he said. "Well, maybe next time."**

 **"Sure," I agreed, and then bit my lip. I wouldn't want him to take that too literally.**

 **He slouched off, back toward the school. I heard a low chuckle.**

"You really shouldn't laugh at me, you know," Bella grumbled, playfully punching her boyfriend's shoulder, and then wincing slightly when the contact hurt her hand, which of course caused everyone to start laughing again.

She was raising everyone's spirits without even meaning to.

"I can't help myself sometimes, love," Edward replied, trying not to laugh, rather unsuccessfully, "You are simply too amusing most of the time. And even you have to admit, your interactions with high school boys are particularly comical."

"Fine," she grumbled, "Laugh it up. I'm glad you enjoy my discomfort so much." She was giving him a hard time and everyone knew it. He simply continued laughing quietly and pulled her close as his father continued to read.

 **Edward was walking past the front of my truck, looking straight forward, his lips pressed together. I yanked the door open and jumped inside, slamming it loudly behind me. I revved the engine deafeningly and reversed out into the aisle. Edward was in his car already, two spaces down, sliding out smoothly in front of me, cutting me off.**

 **He stopped there - to wait for his family; I could see the four of them walking this way, but still by the cafeteria. I considered taking out the rear of his shiny Volvo, but there were too many witnesses.**

"You were going to hurt my car?" Edward asked, sounding horrified at the prospect of anything happening to his precious Volvo.

"Oh, God forbid, anything happens to your 'baby'," Rosalie teased her brother, enjoying this side of Bella. She was quiet, respectful, reserved. But inside, she was a proper spitfire with a wicked temper, and Rose started secretly planning the best ways to get feisty Bella to come out to play.

"You can't really blame me for contemplating it," Bella defended, surprisingly completely unashamed by her thoughts from that day, "After all, you're the reason Tyler became so deluded about me."

No one outside of the Cullen children knew what she was talking about and everyone exchanged confused glances, which resulted in muffled chuckles from Edward's siblings.

 **I looked in my rearview mirror. A line was beginning to form. Directly behind me, Tyler Crowley was in his recently acquired used Sentra, waving. I was too aggravated to acknowledge him.**

 **While I was sitting there, looking everywhere but at the car in front of me, I heard a knock on my passenger side window. I looked over; it was Tyler. I glanced back in my rearview mirror, confused. His car was still running, the door left open. I leaned across the cab to crank the window down. It was stiff. I got it halfway down, then gave up.**

 **"I'm sorry, Tyler, I'm stuck behind Cullen." I was annoyed - obviously the holdup wasn't my fault.**

 **"Oh, I know - I just wanted to ask you something while we're trapped here." He grinned.**

 **This could not be happening.**

"Oh, Bellsy, it's happening," Emmett busted up laughing, enjoying this whole scenario far more than he should.

"Actually, Emmy," she teased him right back, "It already happened. Almost a year ago in fact. Don't you remember? You were in the parking lot after all. And here I was led to believe vampires have perfect recall," she couldn't help letting that bit of snarky sarcasm seep into her voice.

It was part coping mechanism; It had been an incredibly stressful and emotional day and she needed to deal with all of it somehow so sarcasm and deflection was a good option. And part just Bella feeling comfortable enough to let loose a little. She always censored so much of what she thought and felt, but since they were all getting a play-by-play anyway, she figured she didn't have to keep that sort of comment to herself right now.

While poor Emmett sputtered, looking for a proper comeback, Carlisle began reading again, as everyone else was chuckling his son's expression.

 **"Will you ask me to the spring dance?" he continued.**

 **"I'm not going to be in town, Tyler." My voice sounded a little sharp. I had to remember it wasn't his fault that Mike and Eric had already used up my quota of patience for the day.**

 **"Yeah, Mike said that," he admitted.**

 **"Then why -"**

 **He shrugged. "I was hoping you were just letting him down easy."**

 **Okay, it was completely his fault.**

"You got that right," Kim added, surprisingly bitter, "Guys can never seem to understand that we ladies actually mean it when we say 'no'."

"Sounds like you know the feeling?" Bella asked, sensing there was a story there.

"Jared imprinted on me the first day back to school after he phased. And we were a couple in the public eye fairly quickly after that," the normally shy girl explained, "But the boys at school didn't seem to understand that me being in a relationship, a very serious, exclusive relationship that neither Jared nor I made any effort of hiding at school, meant I was not available."

Emily picked up the story when she trailed off, "It was like as soon as Jared attached himself to her, she became even more desirable than before. The boys wouldn't leave her alone, and no matter how many times she turned them down, they kept coming back again and again. It drove her absolutely crazy."

"I know exactly what you mean," Bella agreed, smiling widely while also shaking her head in annoyance, "They were bad enough when I was single. I hoped they would get the message when Edward and I got together, but no. If anything, they got worse. I swear, Tyler had the whole school convinced I was going to prom with him, even though he never actually asked me and I was dating Edward."

Emily couldn't help but smile as the three of them talked in circles. Bella completely understood where they were coming from, and it was so nice to have another girl in-the-know to talk to about these things. "I really wish sometimes we could just tell all of them that our men aren't just our boyfriends, but our mates, and life partners. That we are never going to be available again so they might as well give up. It's rather annoying having to pretend for the normal human population that we are just regular couples, dating, and might break up at any time."

As Kim, and Bella both nodded emphatically, and Rose and Alice both joined them, the men in the room looked decidedly pleased with the shared sentiment.

Jasper had never realized just how much it bothered these girls when the men pestered them so much. Alice and Rose didn't have to deal with it nearly as much thanks to the human instincts to avoid vampires, but someone who looked like Rosalie did still had to deal with a lot of unwanted attention everywhere they went.

"It doesn't help that all the male attention makes every female within a ten-mile radius hate us," Bella added, "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to start over at a new school in a new state, when the boys won't leave you alone, and the girls all either hate your guts, or want to use you as some sort of popularity booster, rather than actually being your friend?"

That thought was actually rather sad. If it wasn't blatantly obvious to all of them at this point that Bella had serious difficulty fitting in with her own species, especially among people her own age, that comment would have rammed it home.

"Don't worry Bella," Emily said, smiling warmly at her, "I think you'll find you fit in just fine with Kim and I. And we don't have to keep any secrets from each other now."

 **"Sorry, Tyler," I said, working to hide my irritation. "I really am going out of town."**

 **"That's cool. We still have prom."**

 **And before I could respond, he was walking back to his car. I could feel the shock on my face. I looked forward to see Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper all sliding into the Volvo. In his rearview mirror, Edward's eyes were on me.**

 **He was unquestionably shaking with laughter, as if he'd heard every word Tyler had said. My foot itched toward the gas pedal... one little bump wouldn't hurt any of them, just that glossy silver paint job. I revved the engine.**

 **But they were all in, and Edward was speeding away. I drove home slowly, carefully, muttering to myself the whole way.**

"You really wanted to hurt my car?" Edward asked, sounding as though someone had just kicked his puppy.

"I still seriously have the impulse from time to time," Bella admitted wryly, attempting to keep a straight face, "But don't worry. I would never do anything now, knowing how much it means to you… So long as you never make me truly angry with you that is."

She meant her threat as a joke, and most everyone laughed heartily at both it, and Edward's stricken face in response.

But Edward wasn't upset because of the thought of his precious Volvo being damaged. He was afraid of the hidden temper she had inside her, and what might happen when it was directed at him. Because he had a feeling it would be as soon as they discussed his idiotic plan.

The one that sparked SM to send all of this in the first place. The one where he thought it was wise to leave her behind, and hurt her the way Ian had to get her to let him go. The one where he intended to break her heart and abandon her in order to 'protect her'. Even thinking it now, given everything he now knew, sounded moronic.

Yeah, her anger was definitely going to make an appearance, and that was not something Edward was looking forward to in the slightest.


	3. Chapter 3 Mood Swings

**TWILIGHT READING TWILIGHT BOOK 2**

 **RATHER DIE THAN STAY AWAY**

 **Copyright Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer is the sole owner of all Twilight Universe intellectual property, including but not limited to Twilight characters, Twilight plotlines, and all included Twilight text. This story is a fanfiction commentary on her work and no copyright infringement is intended. I own nothing.

 **Summary:** The Cullens' home is now filled with curious shape-shifters, imprints and Quileute elders, all desperate to hear the rest of Bella's story. How much can one weekend really change things? And what other secrets does Bella have in her past, waiting to be exposed?

 **Chapter 3 – Mood Swings**

Carlisle noted his son's obvious concern over Bella's reaction with confusion. What had she said that had him so worried? He couldn't honestly be that upset over her joke about the Volvo, could he?

Edward's slight shake of his head alerted the eldest vampire that that was not the case, but he did not comment further, clearly not wanting to discuss whatever was bothering him in the presence of the entire family, and the pack. 'We will talk about this later.' His thought was directed at his son, and he received a small nod in acknowledgement, which did not escape Bella's notice.

Both Carlisle and Bella now planned to ask him about this later.

He sighed, resigned to let it go for now, and continued reading from SM's work.

 **When I got home, I decided to make chicken enchiladas for dinner. It was a long process, and it would keep me busy. While I was simmering the onions and chilies, the phone rang. I was almost afraid to answer it, but it might be Charlie or my mom.**

"Afraid to answer your own telephone Bells?" Jake jested, though he was truly curious. This book was just full of all sorts of surprises, and Bella's thoughts continued to confuse and intrigue him at every turn.

"After having Mike, Eric, and Tyler all corner me about the school dance, all in one day, I half expected to answer the phone and hear Ben trying to do the same," Bella explained, laughing to herself, "My patience was beyond worn thin at that point, and if another teenage boy had attempted to make any kind of move that night, I might have snapped."

"Ben?" Edward asked, now laughing as well, "Really?"

"I wasn't used to any kind of male attention at all," Bella continued, "If someone had told me a few years ago that I was going to have three relatively popular high school boys all ask me out on the same day, I would have recommended they be committed. Given, that Mike, Eric, and Tyler had all already asked me when I hadn't expected anyone to, fearing that someone else might as well was wholly warranted."

The girls were nodding their heads in silent agreement, and most of the guys were shaking theirs' in exasperation. It just seemed ridiculous to all of them that Bella had never received that sort of attention before. After all, she was beautiful.

Jasper however, was more concerned with the strange emotions Bella was giving off. Sadness. Frustration. Loneliness. And… Guilt? Why would she be feeling that way?

Frustration with the behavior of her unwanted suitors was understandable. Sadness and Loneliness, while he never wanted her to feel them, at least made sense given what they knew about her time before Forks.

But guilt? It wasn't like she had done anything to garner such attention from the boys here, so why was she feeling guilty about any of this? He couldn't help wondering if there was more to her story than she had let on, something about the mysterious Lucas perhaps...

 **It was Jessica, and she was jubilant; Mike had caught her after school to accept her invitation. I celebrated with her briefly while I stirred. She had to go, she wanted to call Angela and Lauren to tell them. I suggested - with casual innocence - that maybe Angela, the shy girl who had Biology with me, could ask Eric. And Lauren, a standoffish girl who had always ignored me at the lunch table, could ask Tyler; I'd heard he was still available. Jess thought that was a great idea.**

"Trying to pawn off your admirers onto the unsuspecting school girls of Forks, were you Bella?" Emmett asked, poking her playfully in the shoulder.

"Can you blame me?" she defended, smiling.

 **Now that she was sure of Mike, she actually sounded sincere when she said she wished I would go to the dance. I gave her my Seattle excuse.**

 **After I hung up, I tried to concentrate on dinner - dicing the chicken especially; I didn't want to take another trip to the emergency room. But my head was spinning, trying to analyze every word Edward had spoken today. What did he mean, it was better if we weren't friends?**

"Trying to analyze your cryptic comments and use a knife at the same time… Bad idea," Bella commented dryly, knowing full well that her next thoughts were likely to kill the good mood, and trying to keep things light while also pointing out to her boyfriend just how much of a pain he had been back then, "I'm lucky I didn't end up having to rush to the hospital to have my fingers reattached."

Her comment worked, causing everyone to laugh, while also making Edward look quite thoughtful. Jasper however, wasn't fooled. He felt her concern and anxiety, and tried to quiet it with a strong wave of calm. She didn't resist him, but she also knew exactly what he was doing and gave him a look of gratitude.

 **My stomach twisted as I realized what he must have meant. He must see how absorbed I was by him; he must not want to lead me on... so we couldn't even be friends... because he wasn't interested in me at all.**

"What?!" Edward couldn't believe what his father was saying. There was no way that Bella could have ever truly believed that, right? "You didn't actually think I wasn't interested, did you?"

Again, Bella fought to ignore the fact that they were having an incredibly private conversation about her insecurities with regards to their relationship, with a massive audience of their friends and family. "And why wouldn't I think that?" she countered, "You weren't exactly giving me any straight answers, and your mood swings were beyond unpredictable. At best, you weren't interested. At worst, you absolutely hated me. What else was I supposed to think at the time?"

She had promised herself that she wouldn't get angry with him. It wasn't his fault that her mind was blank to him so he had no clue how she truly thought. It wasn't his fault that SM was putting all of these thoughts on display now, when things had changed so much. It wasn't his fault that she had been mistreated and rejected so many times in her life she simply jumped to this sort of conclusion by default.

But she couldn't help it. She was tired, and irritated, and now, quite angry. He was the one that had been an ass from the day they met, and had shown her no reason up to that point that he cared about her in the slightest. She could think whatever she damn well pleased about him!

Edward wanted to argue the point, but hearing Jasper's mental warnings about her current emotional climate decided against it. She was right to an extent, even if the conclusions she had drawn were insane. He would just have to reassure her later, in private.

 **Of course he wasn't interested in me, I thought angrily, my eyes stinging - a delayed reaction to the onions. I wasn't interesting. And he was. Interesting... and brilliant... and mysterious... and perfect... and beautiful... and possibly able to lift full-sized vans with one hand.**

Her description of him had the wolves snickering quietly, and almost as quickly as her anger had risen, it fell away as she heard these thoughts, and looked into her love's eyes. Yeah, he was a jerk, and the beginnings of their time together had been tumultuous, but she loved him now, and that was what mattered.

Taking Jasper's assessment of Bella's now calm and loving state, Edward decided she was receptive enough for him to set the record straight. He kissed her temple softly and said quietly, "I love you, Bella. You are fascinating, and inquisitive, and compassionate, and gorgeous. I could never be uninterested in you, love. You are in my every thought, and I am so sorry that my behavior back then led you to doubt that."

It took all of Emily and Kim's self-control not to sigh in delight at the gesture. Why couldn't their men be that attentive and reassuring? Alice and Rosalie had no such control, both simultaneously uttering an almost silent, but glee-filled, "Awwwww, so sweet."

The last remnants of Bella's irritation floated away at hearing this, and she reached up to kiss him lightly. She then said softly, "All's forgiven. I know that now," as she laid her head against him chest and looked to Carlisle to continue reading.

 **Well, that was fine. I could leave him alone. I would leave him alone. I would get through my self-imposed sentence here in purgatory, and then hopefully some school in the Southwest, or possibly Hawaii, would offer me a scholarship. I focused my thoughts on sunny beaches and palm trees as I finished the enchiladas and put them in the oven.**

 **Charlie seemed suspicious when he came home and smelled the green peppers. I couldn't blame him - the closest edible Mexican food was probably in southern California. But he was a cop, even if just a small-town cop, so he was brave enough to take the first bite. He seemed to like it. It was fun to watch as he slowly began trusting me in the kitchen.**

 **"Dad?" I asked when he was almost done.**

 **"Yeah, Bella?"**

 **"Um, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to Seattle for the day a week from Saturday... if that's okay?" I didn't want to ask permission - it set a bad precedent - but I felt rude, so I tacked it on at the end.**

"Why wouldn't you ask permission?" Billy inquired, no judgement in his tone, simply curiosity. Charlie was her father after all, it made sense that she would ask him permission to leave town for the day.

"I never asked Renee for permission in anything," she explained patiently, "She wouldn't have known I had even left until after I returned, and sometimes only then if I actually mentioned where I had gone. I didn't want him to worry, so I was sure to tell him, since he tended to notice far more than Renee, but I have been making my own decisions for my life for a very long time. I wasn't keen on the idea of relinquishing that control, even to my father."

Her explanation seemed to be satisfactory for Billy, but it raised new questions for the others.

"Was Renee really that bad?" Charlie couldn't help but ask, despite the fact that they had already touched on this subject earlier in the day.

"Mom is a sweetheart," Bella answered him, consciously remembering to refer to her as mom and not Renee since she was defending her and didn't really want more questions asked, "She was just so young when I was born. She wasn't ready for the responsibilities of being a parent, and certainly not the ones that come with being a single parent. She did her best, but really, she was still a kid herself."

"So were you," Paul commented sadly, "And as much as you obviously value your freedom and control now, there should have been a time when you could have counted on her for those sorts of decisions. You never got to be a kid."

"Renee always said I was born middle aged and grew older with each passing second," Bella told him, "I grew up faster than most kids; I had to. But that doesn't mean I didn't have a childhood, or that I wasn't happy most of the time. My experiences were just different than most people's, and that's ok."

They all seemed to accept her word, though Paul suspected she resented her mother for her upbringing more than she would ever let on.

Edward couldn't help but ponder what she had said though. She was used to making all of the decisions, and having complete control over every aspect of her life, with no outside interference. The few times she had truly let people in, with Sasha and her family, and with Ian and his brother, she had been burned badly.

Was this why she resisted his urges to protect her, to dote on her and care for her? Why she fought so hard against gifts and money and favors? She was so used to doing things herself, that anything else felt unnatural, or even frightening to her…

 **"Why?" He sounded surprised, as if he were unable to imagine something that Forks couldn't offer.**

 **"Well, I wanted to get few books - the library here is pretty limited - and maybe look at some clothes." I had more money than I was used to having, since, thanks to Charlie, I hadn't had to pay for a car. Not that the truck didn't cost me quite a bit in the gas department.**

 **"That truck probably doesn't get very good gas mileage," he said, echoing my thoughts.**

 **"I know, I'll stop in Montesano and Olympia - and Tacoma if I have to."**

 **"Are you going all by yourself?" he asked, and I couldn't tell if he was suspicious I had a secret boyfriend or just worried about car trouble.**

"Both," Charlie admitted wryly, eliciting more laughter, and recapturing the elusive good mood in the room.

 **"Yes."**

 **"Seattle is a big city - you could get lost," he fretted.**

 **"Dad, Phoenix is five times the size of Seattle - and I can read a map, don't worry about it."**

 **"Do you want me to come with you?"**

 **I tried to be crafty as I hid my horror.**

 **"That's all right, Dad, I'll probably just be in dressing rooms all day - very boring."**

 **"Oh, okay." The thought of sitting in women's clothing stores for any period of time immediately put him off.**

 **"Thanks." I smiled at him.**

 **"Will you be back in time for the dance?"**

 **Grrr. Only in a town this small would a father know when the high school dances were.**

 **"No - I don't dance, Dad." He, of all people, should understand that - I didn't get my balance problems from my mother.**

Charlie blushed profusely at this, but no one commented aloud. Though Jared couldn't help wondering, 'How can a police chief be as clumsy as Bella? Doesn't he have to chase down criminals and such?' to which Edward chuckled.

 **He did understand. "Oh, that's right," he realized.**

 **The next morning, when I pulled into the parking lot, I deliberately parked as far as possible from the silver Volvo. I didn't want to put myself in the path of too much temptation and end up owing him a new car.**

Again the mention of Bella harming his precious Volvo had Edward looking practically queasy. If he had known that his actions were endangering his beloved car, he might have changed things sooner.

 **Getting out of the cab, I fumbled with my key and it fell into a puddle at my feet. As I bent to get it, a white hand flashed out and grabbed it before I could. I jerked upright. Edward Cullen was right next to me, leaning casually against my truck.**

 **"How do you do that?" I asked in amazed irritation.**

 **"Do what?" He held my key out as he spoke. As I reached for it, he dropped it into my palm.**

 **"Appear out of thin air."**

 **"Bella, it's not my fault if you are exceptionally unobservant." His voice was quiet as usual - velvet, muted.**

"'Exceptionally unobservant'?" Harry barked, laughing so hard he could barely breathe, "Are you off your rocker? Our girl has seen through damn near everything, and she doesn't even seem to be trying. I think it's safe to say she is the most observant person any of us have ever met."

 **I scowled at his perfect face. His eyes were light again today, a deep, golden honey color. Then I had to look down, to reassemble my now-tangled thoughts.**

 **"Why the traffic jam last night?" I demanded, still looking away. "I thought you were supposed to be pretending I don't exist, not irritating me to death."**

 **"That was for Tyler's sake, not mine. I had to give him his chance." He snickered.**

 **"You..." I gasped. I couldn't think of a bad enough word. It felt like the heat of my anger should physically burn him, but he only seemed more amused.**

 **"And I'm not pretending you don't exist," he continued.**

 **"So you are trying to irritate me to death? Since Tyler's van didn't do the job?"**

 **Anger flashed in his tawny eyes. His lips pressed into a hard line, all signs of humor gone.**

Edward was desperately trying to hide his frustration with this relived conversation. He had been beyond livid hearing her say this the first time around, when he had thought she was simply being flippant. Knowing now that she had meant it, it was nearly impossible to hear his father read these words and not comment.

He simply squeezed his love tighter to him and tried to remember that this was all almost a year ago now, and she didn't still feel this way. At least he hoped that she didn't…

 **"Bella, you are utterly absurd," he said, his low voice cold.**

 **My palms tingled - I wanted so badly to hit something. I was surprised at myself. I was usually a nonviolent person. I turned my back and started to walk away.**

 **"Wait," he called. I kept walking, sloshing angrily through the rain. But he was next to me, easily keeping pace.**

 **"I'm sorry, that was rude," he said as we walked. I ignored him. "I'm not saying it isn't true," he continued, "but it was rude to say it, anyway."**

Edward wasn't the only one reliving the emotions of this conversation as it was read aloud. Bella was struggling to reign in her own aggravation at his roller-coaster attitude and unpredictable mood swings.

Of course, Jasper found all of this extremely amusing. They were both getting so wound up over nothing of consequence, and he couldn't help picturing them both with steam coming out of their ears like in the cartoons.

 **"Why won't you leave me alone?" I grumbled.**

 **"I wanted to ask you something, but you sidetracked me," he chuckled. He seemed to have recovered his good humor.**

 **"Do you have a multiple personality disorder?" I asked severely.**

Everyone was laughing at this, truly enjoying this snarkier side of Bella's personality that she usually kept under lock and key with everyone else.

"You tell him Bells," Emmett teased, thoroughly enjoying his brother's embarrassment. If he could, he would be blushing crimson in that moment.

 **"You're doing it again."**

 **I sighed. "Fine then. What do you want to ask?"**

 **"I was wondering if, a week from Saturday - you know, the day of the spring dance -"**

 **"Are you trying to be funny?" I interrupted him, wheeling toward him. My face got drenched as I looked up at his expression.**

 **His eyes were wickedly amused. "Will you please allow me to finish?"**

 **I bit my lip and clasped my hands together, interlocking my fingers, so I couldn't do anything rash.**

"Like break something slapping that wicked smirk right off your face," Bella muttered under her breath, causing another roar of laughter from the wolves and elders.

 **"I heard you say you were going to Seattle that day, and I was wondering if you wanted a ride."**

 **That was unexpected.**

 **"What?" I wasn't sure what he was getting at.**

 **"Do you want a ride to Seattle?"**

 **"With who?" I asked, mystified.**

 **"Myself, obviously." He enunciated every syllable, as if he were talking to someone mentally handicapped.**

This earned a glare from Bella that had him shrinking back in genuine fear. 'Note to self, never insult Bella's intelligence, even accidentally. It appears to be a trigger for her anger.' Edward noted silently, while trying to look as apologetic as he could manage.

Of course, all the while everyone else was practically rolling on the ground laughing at the couple.

 **I was still stunned. "Why?"**

 **"Well, I was planning to go to Seattle in the next few weeks, and, to be honest, I'm not sure if your truck can make it."**

"I don't know how many times I have to say this," Bella's irritation was really beginning to seep through now, "Do not insult my truck!"

"Sorry, love," Edward's voice was soft, almost timid, like he was speaking to a cornered animal. He really didn't want to make her angry, and there was nothing he could do now about the things he had said and done back then.

 **"My truck works just fine, thank you very much for your concern." I started to walk again, but I was too surprised to maintain the same level of anger.**

 **"But can your truck make it there on one tank of gas?" He matched my pace again.**

 **"I don't see how that is any of your business." Stupid, shiny Volvo owner.**

More laughter escaped from the whole crowd, with the obvious exception of the said Volvo owner.

"You really don't like that car do you Bells?" Jake couldn't help but put in.

"I'm more of a truck gal personally," she returned seriously, giving her friend an appreciative look, as he was responsible for her having the truck now.

 **"The wasting of finite resources is everyone's business."**

 **"Honestly, Edward." I felt a thrill go through me as I said his name, and I hated it. "I can't keep up with you. I thought you didn't want to be my friend."**

 **"I said it would be better if we weren't friends, not that I didn't want to be."**

 **"Oh, thanks, now that's all cleared up." Heavy sarcasm. I realized I had stopped walking again. We were under the shelter of the cafeteria roof now, so I could more easily look at his face. Which certainly didn't help my clarity of thought.**

 **"It would be more... prudent for you not to be my friend," he explained. "But I'm tired of trying to stay away from you, Bella."**

 **His eyes were gloriously intense as he uttered that last sentence, his voice smoldering. I couldn't remember how to breathe.**

"So this is what you were talking about when you described compulsion?" Carlisle asked her.

"To an extent, yes. He wasn't actually trying to get me to agree to anything in that moment, so the effect was not exactly the same, but he was definitely using the power of his eyes to get to me." It bothered Bella more than she was ever going to admit that he had had that strong of an effect on her, even if she was learning to resist it somewhat now.

Carlisle looked contemplative, but continued without further comment.

 **"Will you go with me to Seattle?" he asked, still intense.**

 **I couldn't speak yet, so I just nodded.**

 **He smiled briefly, and then his face became serious.**

 **"You really should stay away from me," he warned. "I'll see you in class."**

 **He turned abruptly and walked back the way we'd come.**

"Can anyone else see what I mean now about emotional whiplash?" Bella asked, glaring at her boyfriend again.


	4. Chapter 4 Bizarre Lunch Dates

**A/N: This is the revised version of this chapter. Thank you to all of my readers who helped me correct the obvious error in the original version. Chapter 5 is coming very soon, I promise.**

 **Chapter 4 – Bizarre Lunch Dates**

The day, which had been beating away at Bella from the moment it began, was starting to seem less daunting. She had told her family the truth about Ian and Jon, even if she still kept most of the moon children's secrets. She had shared her painful history with Sasha's pride, even if she withheld what she knew about werecats to protect the sole survivor of the tragedy. She had even told them about her dream gift, something she had fought to keep hidden from everyone in her life for years.

And true, she had yet to mention anything about Lucas and his coven, or anything they had taught her about her gifts, but the sheer mountain of secrets that she had laid bare today was unbelievable regardless.

And no one had rejected her. No one was treating her like a pariah. No one was threatening her, or looking at her with fear and disgust.

They all just took it in stride, and even though she knew they all had questions, they had left it alone, letting her keep her secrets for now. And for that she was immensely grateful.

They were making steady progress with SM's first book, and Bella was slowly starting to ease back into the flow of things, her fears somewhat lessened by their acceptance.

In fact, the last chapter had had her laughing, teasing, and bonding with everyone in the room. And as her emotions grew steadily lighter, the rest of the odd gathering seemed to follow her into a relaxed understanding.

They had taken another short break after the end of the last chapter so all the humans could grab water and snacks, but everyone was making their way back into the living room now. It was almost five o'clock in the evening, and Bella knew that they would likely be stopping after the next chapter or two so everyone who did eat, could have dinner, but she was as eager as everyone else to keep reading now.

Carlisle picked back up the book, prepared to continue reading, but Harry spoke up before he could, "You've been at it for a while Doc," he addressed the vampire kindly, a bit of mirth in his eyes as he did so, "Let me take a turn diving into her mind."

Carlisle handed the book over without question, laughing lightly at the elder's strange antics. Bella ducked her head slightly, trying to hide the growing blush at his words, glad no one commented before Harry began reading the next chapter.

 **BLOOD TYPE**

 **I made my way to English in a daze. I didn't even realize when I first walked in that class had already started.**

 **"Thank you for joining us, Miss Swan," Mr. Mason said in a disparaging tone.**

 **I flushed and hurried to my seat.**

 **It wasn't till class ended that I realized Mike wasn't sitting in his usual seat next to me. I felt a twinge of guilt. But he and Eric both met me at the door as usual, so I figured I wasn't totally unforgiven.**

"Why did you think you needed to be forgiven?" Sam asked, genuinely confused. With all of the odd breaks in their readings, he honestly couldn't remember what had happened with this boy that would have warranted him being upset with her.

"Teenage boys," Bella answered him with a wry smile, "Especially love-struck, human boys, don't tend to take rejection well. This is immediately following the failed attempts of half the student body to ask me to the dance, so naturally all my guy-friends were being a bit distant in their disappointment."

None of them bothered to remind her that it wasn't actually her fault that they liked her when she didn't feel the same. Or that she hadn't done anything wrong by telling them no.

Which she was thankful for, since she knew full well that her schoolmates really couldn't be held accountable for reacting to her the way that they all did…

 **Mike seemed to become more himself as we walked, gaining enthusiasm as he talked about the weather report for this weekend. The rain was supposed to take a minor break, and so maybe his beach trip would be possible. I tried to sound eager, to make up for disappointing him yesterday. It was hard; rain or no rain, it would still only be in the high forties, if we were lucky.**

 **The rest of the morning passed in a blur. It was difficult to believe that I hadn't just imagined what Edward had said, and the way his eyes had looked. Maybe it was just a very convincing dream that I'd confused with reality.**

"It wouldn't have been the first time," Bella commented quietly, thinking over the many spirit dreams she had had in recent years, many of which felt so real she was completely dazed upon waking to find herself in bed.

She had spent so long trying to ignore her dreams, that now that SM was asking her to take them seriously and discuss them with her friends and family, she found herself reliving the mass of images she had long since tucked away safely in the recesses of her mind.

Knowing how emotional the topic was for Bella, no one responded to her side comment, despite their curiosity. They would ask all of their questions in time, but right now they didn't want to push her, especially since she seemed to have regained some of her earlier peace and amusement.

 **That seemed more probable than that I really appealed to him on any level.**

"You appeal to me on every possible level, Bella," Edward assured her, placing another of his light kisses on her temple. He still didn't like hearing her self-doubt, even if she no longer felt that way.

Of course, he didn't realize quite how his statement would sound to the rest of them, and was suddenly hit with a barrage of overbearingly protective thoughts from Charlie, Billy, Harry, and even the wolves. They clearly thought he was referring to a sexual relationship and were decidedly uncomfortable with the mental images that produced.

 **So I was impatient and frightened as Jessica and I entered the cafeteria. I wanted to see his face, to see if he'd gone back to the cold, indifferent person I'd known for the last several weeks. Or if, by some miracle, I'd really heard what I thought I'd heard this morning. Jessica babbled on and on about her dance plans - Lauren and Angela had asked the other boys and they were all going together - completely unaware of my inattention.**

 **Disappointment flooded through me as my eyes unerringly focused on his table. The other four were there, but he was absent. Had he gone home? I followed the still-babbling Jessica through the line, crushed.**

 **I'd lost my appetite - I bought nothing but a bottle of lemonade. I just wanted to go sit down and sulk.**

"Jeez, Bells," Emmett interrupted laughing, "You're almost as bad as Edward. You two are seriously meant for each other; I've never known anyone who knew how to take the sharp left turn into brooding and depression quite like you two."

It was obvious that he was teasing them, but the couple both turned their mirrored death glares on him in perfect unison, and a low hiss actually escaped Edward's lips.

He backed down under the weight of their obvious irritation, but silently tacked on 'I rest my case' for Edward's benefit.

 **"Edward Cullen is staring at you again," Jessica said, finally breaking through my abstraction with his name. "I wonder why he's sitting alone today."**

 **My head snapped up. I followed her gaze to see Edward, smiling crookedly, staring at me from an empty table across the cafeteria from where he usually sat. Once he'd caught my eye, he raised one hand and motioned with his index finger for me to join him.**

 **As I stared in disbelief, he winked.**

"You know," Bella chimed in, her momentary frustration with her brother completely forgotten, "If anyone else had done that, I probably would have found it a tad creepy, to be honest."

Edward wasn't ruffled in the slightest, simply donning his legendary crooked smile and answering, "I suppose it's a good thing I'm not anyone else then, isn't it?" to which Bella laughed.

No one else commented, content to simply observe the oddly-matched couple, like a pair of lions in an exhibit at the zoo. Their interactions were fascinating to everyone for some reason, especially the wolves who were still coming to terms with the fact that Bella and Edward might really be mates in the truest sense.

 **"Does he mean you?" Jessica asked with insulting astonishment in her voice.**

 **"Maybe he needs help with his Biology homework," I muttered for her benefit. "Um, I'd better go see what he wants."**

 **I could feel her staring after me as I walked away.**

 **When I reached his table, I stood behind the chair across from him, unsure.**

 **"Why don't you sit with me today?" he asked, smiling.**

 **I sat** **down automatically, watching him with caution. He was still smiling. It was hard to believe that someone so beautiful could be real. I was afraid that he might disappear in a sudden puff of smoke, and I would wake up.**

"How often do you question whether you are actually dreaming?" Jacob asked, highly amused by her ramblings, but also sensing this was somehow very important.

"I told you, my dreams are very real, and as hard as I try to suppress them, they still come far more often than I would like. When I can close my eyes and experience dreams that feel as real as this moment, right here, right now, it makes you question every moment, waking or otherwise. Especially when the people around you aren't making any sense…"

Edward silently added 'making her question her sanity' to the list of reasons he had to feel guilty for his ridiculous behavior back then, sighing sadly at her explanation.

 **He seemed to be waiting for me to say something.**

 **"This is different," I finally managed.**

 **"Well..." He paused, and then the rest of the words followed in a rush. "I decided as long as I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly."**

 **I waited for him to say something that made sense. The seconds ticked by.**

 **"You know I don't have any idea what you mean," I eventually pointed out.**

 **"I know." He smiled again, and then he changed the subject. "I think your friends are angry with me for stealing you."**

 **"They'll survive." I could feel their stares boring into my back.**

 **"I may not give you back, though," he said with a wicked glint in his eyes.**

 **I gulped.**

 **He laughed. "You look worried."**

 **"No," I said, but, ridiculously, my voice broke. "Surprised, actually... what brought all this on?"**

 **"I told you - I got tired of trying to stay away from you. So I'm giving up." He was still smiling, but his ocher eyes were serious.**

 **"Giving up?" I repeated in confusion.**

 **"Yes - giving up trying to be good. I'm just going to do what I want now, and let the chips fall where they may." His smile faded as he explained, and a hard edge crept into his voice.**

"Still trying to warn me to stay away, even after you gave up trying to stay away yourself," Bella breathed near-silently.

 **"You lost me again."**

 **The breathtaking crooked smile reappeared.**

 **"I always say too much when I'm talking to you - that's one of the problems."**

 **"Don't worry - I don't understand any of it," I said wryly.**

 **"I'm counting on that."**

"How did that work out for you?" Paul jested.

"I'd say things definitely worked out well for me," Edward responded, looking down at the girl in his lap with absolute adoration.

"For us both," Bella agreed, "Though I suppose keeping the secrets we fought to hide from each other has essentially gone out the proverbial window at this point."

Everyone laughed at this, though Edward wasn't the only one to question whether all of Bella's secrets had really been brought to the surface.

 **"So, in plain English, are we friends now?"**

 **"Friends..." he mused, dubious.**

 **"Or not," I muttered.**

 **He grinned. "Well, we can try, I suppose. But I'm warning you now that I'm not a good friend for you." Behind his smile, the warning was real.**

 **"You say that a lot," I noted, trying to ignore the sudden trembling in my stomach and keep my voice even.**

 **"Yes, because you're not listening to me. I'm still waiting for you to believe it. If you're smart, you'll avoid me."**

 **"I think you've made your opinion on the subject of my intellect clear, too." My eyes narrowed.**

 **He smiled apologetically.**

 **"So, as long as I'm being... not smart, we'll try to be friends?" I struggled to sum up the confusing exchange.**

 **"That sounds about right."**

 **I looked down at my hands wrapped around the lemonade bottle, not sure what to do now.**

 **"What are you thinking?" he asked curiously.**

 **I looked up into his deep gold eyes, became befuddled, and, as usual, blurted out the truth.**

"I really wish I had been better at shielding against that little talent of yours back then," Bella admitted, "It was beyond embarrassing how easily you could get me to spill my secrets. It's nothing short of a miracle I never blurted out the truth about my dreams during one of our dates."

Edward completely ignored the reference to her dreams, and her insecurities about him finding out about them. There was so much there that the two of them needed to talk about, but he really didn't want to have another emotional discussion about their relationship with the whole group listening.

But there was one thing that had him turning to her, his eyes burning with questions as he spoke, "Back then?"

"What?" she responded confused.

"You said you wished you were better at 'shielding' yourself from compulsion 'back then'."

"Aw," she stalled for a moment, "Well it really doesn't affect me almost at all anymore, unless I'm practically keeling over with sleep deprivation or something, and even then, I've gotten pretty good at keeping my wits about me."

He contemplated that for a moment. She had said that this was an inherent part of his telepathic gifts, that many vampires with similar talents could do it. And she was able to block him from reading her mind without even trying, or at least he didn't think she was intentionally doing anything, so maybe with focus and practice she could block his other gift as well. But then, would she be immune to all mental gifts? Would someone like Aro be able to unlock her mind?

 **"I'm trying to figure out what you are."**

'She really did accept from the very beginning that we weren't human,' Carlisle mused silently, 'I suppose given what we now know about her history with supernaturals, the fact that she was open to the possibility isn't all that surprising.'

 **His jaw tightened, but he kept his smile in place with some effort.**

 **"Are you having any luck with that?" he asked in an offhand tone.**

 **"Not too much," I admitted.**

"I hadn't really done any research at all at that point," Bella told them, "After the way things ended with Sasha and Ian and L–," she quickly cut herself off, though everyone was certain she had been about to say Lucas and their curiosity with regard to the last major unknown from her past was reignited.

"Well, after that, I was secretly hoping that there was a simple answer, that didn't involve non-human species. I think that's why I gravitated towards mainstream explanations. Steroids, medical experimentation, radiation… I wasn't sure if I was ready to get involved with anything supernatural after what I had left behind, but I knew I would if that's what it took to have you in my life. So, at first, I purposefully didn't start researching legends, afraid of what I might find."

 **He chuckled. "What are your theories?"**

 **I blushed. I had been vacillating during the last month between Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker. There was no way I was going to own up to that.**

"Batman and Spiderman? Really?" Jared barked out, laughing.

"I was really just focusing on the super speed and strength at that point, trying not to look to closely at all the other obvious signs I had noticed along the way," Bella explained, "And he had saved my life so naturally I leaned towards the superhero versions in my head, even though I knew from his constant warnings and avoidance that was likely far from the truth."

 **"Won't you tell me?" he asked, tilting his head to one side with a shockingly tempting smile.**

 **I shook my head. "Too embarrassing."**

 **"That's really frustrating, you know," he complained.**

 **"No," I disagreed quickly, my eyes narrowing, "I can't imagine why that would be frustrating at all - just because someone refuses to tell you what they're thinking, even if all the while they're making cryptic little remarks specifically designed to keep you up at night wondering what they could possibly mean... now, why would that be frustrating?"**

 **He grimaced.**

 **"Or better," I continued, the pent-up annoyance flowing freely now, "say that person also did a wide range of bizarre things - from saving your life under impossible circumstances one day to treating you like a pariah the next, and he never explained any of that, either, even after he promised. That, also, would be very non-frustrating."**

"Wow, Bells," Charlie whistled, "He must have really gotten under your skin. I've never heard you like that with anyone. Not even when Jake's sister put real mud in your mud pies that summer."

Jacob, Billy, and Bella all started howling in fits of laughter at that.

"God, Rachel really made me mad that day," Bella complained good-naturedly, amused at her father for comparing that strange childhood memory with her rocky relationship moment. The fact that that was the worst moment he could think of was somewhat adorable in her eyes.

 **"You've got a bit of a temper, don't you?"**

 **"I don't like double standards."**

 **We stared at each other, unsmiling.**

 **He glanced over my shoulder, and then, unexpectedly, he snickered.**

 **"What?"**

 **"Your boyfriend seems to think I'm being unpleasant to you - he's debating whether or not to come break up our fight." He snickered again.**

"Referring to Mike as my boyfriend… not the best way to make me less angry with you," Bella muttered, "I was just suddenly frustrated with Mike on top of my frustration with you."

"I was actually referring to Eric in that moment," Edward informed her in all seriousness.

"Oh, of course," Bella grumbled, "That makes things so much better…"

The rest of them couldn't help laughing at her obvious discomfort with the sheer number of male admirers she had acquired in Forks.

 **"I don't know who you're talking about," I said frostily. "But I'm sure you're wrong, anyway."**

 **"I'm not. I told you, most people are easy to read."**

 **"Except me, of course."**

 **"Yes. Except for you." His mood shifted suddenly; his eyes turned brooding. "I wonder why that is."**

 **I had to look away from the intensity of his stare. I concentrated on unscrewing the lid of my lemonade. I took a swig, staring at the table without seeing it.**

 **"Aren't you hungry?" he asked, distracted.**

 **"No." I didn't feel like mentioning that my stomach was already full - of butterflies. "You?" I looked at the empty table in front of him.**

 **"No, I'm not hungry." I didn't understand his expression - it looked like he was enjoying some private joke.**

"I should have asked if you were thirsty I suppose," Bella commented, her previous irritation eased.

 **"Can you do me a favor?" I asked after a second of hesitation.**

 **He was suddenly wary. "That depends on what you want."**

 **"It's not much," I assured him.**

 **He waited, guarded but curious.**

 **"I just wondered... if you could warn me beforehand the next time you decide to ignore me for my own good. Just so I'm prepared." I looked at the lemonade bottle as I spoke, tracing the circle of the opening with my pinkie finger.**

 **"That sounds fair." He was pressing his lips together to keep from laughing when I looked up.**

 **"Thanks."**

 **"Then can I have one answer in return?" he demanded.**

 **"One."**

 **"Tell me one theory."**

 **Whoops. "Not that one."**

 **"You didn't qualify, you just promised one answer," he reminded me.**

 **"And you've broken promises yourself," I reminded him back.**

"Double standards," she muttered again, grumpily.

 **"Just one theory - I won't laugh."**

 **"Yes, you will." I was positive about that.**

 **He looked down, and then glanced up at me through his long black lashes, his ocher eyes scorching.**

 **"Please?" he breathed, leaning toward me.**

 **I blinked, my mind going blank. Holy crow, how did he do that?**

"Now this is a prime example of compulsion at work," Bella looked to Carlisle as she said this, knowing his scientific mind was running a million miles a minute trying to dissect everything.

"Yes, I see what you mean now," he answered her, "Though I am surprised that it seemed so obvious to you at the time even when you had no idea what it was he was doing, and yet, no one else has ever noticed, not even in the family."

"Just my legendary observation skills at work," Bella joked lightly, not wanting to tread too far into her silent mind and other hidden talents.

 **"Er, what?" I asked, dazed.**

 **"Please tell me just one little theory." His eyes still smoldered at me.**

 **"Um, well, bitten by a radioactive spider?" Was he a hypnotist, too? Or was I just a hopeless pushover?**

 **"That's not very creative," he scoffed.**

 **"I'm sorry, that's all I've got," I said, miffed.**

 **"You're not even close," he teased.**

 **"No spiders?"**

 **"Nope."**

 **"And no radioactivity?"**

 **"None."**

 **"Dang," I sighed.**

 **"Kryptonite doesn't bother me, either," he chuckled.**

 **"You're not supposed to laugh, remember?"**

 **He struggled to compose his face.**

 **"I'll figure it out eventually," I warned him.**

"Honestly, as curious as I was, I might have left it alone if you hadn't teased me about it," she revealed, "I am insanely curious by nature, but I've been burned enough by this stuff, at least a small part of me didn't really want to know. So I might have been able to ignore my instincts on the matter. But you challenged me, and I could never let it go after that…"

 **"I wish you wouldn't try." He was serious again.**

 **"Because... ?"**

 **"What if I'm not a superhero? What if I'm the bad guy?" He smiled playfully, but his eyes were impenetrable.**

 **"Oh," I said, as several things he'd hinted fell suddenly into place. "I see."**

 **"Do you?" His face was abruptly severe, as if he were afraid that he'd accidentally said too much.**

 **"You're dangerous?" I guessed, my pulse quickening as I intuitively realized the truth of my own words. He was dangerous. He'd been trying to tell me that all along.**

 **He just looked at me, eyes full of some emotion I couldn't comprehend.**

 **"But not bad," I whispered, shaking my head. "No, I don't believe that you're bad."**

 **"You're wrong." His voice was almost inaudible. He looked down, stealing my bottle lid and then spinning it on its side between his fingers. I stared at him, wondering why I didn't feel afraid. He meant what he was saying - that was obvious. But I just felt anxious, on edge... and, more than anything else, fascinated. The same way I always felt when I was near him.**

Edward couldn't really believe what he was hearing. She had told him so many times that she wasn't afraid of him, but he had assumed that this glimpse into her thoughts would prove that wrong. Instead, every line seemed to validate her claims.

How could she look at him, knowing that he wasn't human, knowing that he posed a threat to her, and feel no fear? Especially after everything she had endured in Phoenix… She had more reason than anyone he had ever met to hate and fear anything supernatural, but she seemed unphased.

 **The silence lasted until I noticed that the cafeteria was almost empty.**

 **I jumped to my feet. "We're going to be late."**

 **"I'm not going to class today," he said, twirling the lid so fast it was just a blur.**

 **"Why not?"**

 **"It's healthy to ditch class now and then." He smiled up at me, but his eyes were still troubled.**

 **"Well, I'm going," I told him. I was far too big a coward to risk getting caught.**

Jacob was shaking his head at this. How could a girl who ran with vampires be too afraid to risk a slap on the wrist from her very human teachers for ditching? Her priorities were so bizarrely ordered…

 **He turned his attention back to his makeshift top. "I'll see you later, then."**

 **I hesitated, torn, but then the first bell sent me hurrying out the door - with a last glance confirming that he hadn't moved a centimeter.**


	5. Chapter 5 Humans Can't Smell Blood

**Chapter 5 – Humans Can't Smell Blood**

Harry paused in his reading and looked at Edward oddly. "Obviously, we all know you're not the typical teenage student," he began thoughtfully, "So, what would be your reason for ditching class?"

Before he could explain, Charlie spoke, "Yeah, that doesn't make a lot of sense. You have all gone to a lot of trouble to avoid drawing attention to yourselves, so why risk getting in trouble with the school? Especially since you no longer seemed to feel the need to keep your distance from Bella…"

Again Edward was cut off before he could reply, this time by Bella herself, "Normally he wouldn't have," she said, "But that day, ditching class posed far less risk than the alternative."

"I don't understand," Billy commented.

"What was the name of this chapter?" Bella replied cheekily, rather enjoying S.M.'s choice of title for this section.

Harry flipped back a few pages, having forgotten the title himself, and his eyes lit with understanding when he read those two words.

"I see," he said quietly. He flipped back to his place, prepared to continue reading, but paused when his wife cleared her throat pointedly. The rest of the Quileutes were still a bit confused and wanted an explanation. "Blood Type," he reminded them all, "The chapter is called Blood Type."

"So they were doing blood typing in biology class, and Edward ditched to avoid what, losing control and killing the other students?" Sam asked. He didn't want to believe that the Cullens could be that out of control, not now that he was trying to give them a chance, and the thought of one of them being set off by a single drop of human blood had him moving in front of Emily protectively.

"No!" Edward refuted both the Alpha's question and his internal dialogue.

"I don't understand," Jacob spoke for most of them.

Bella placed a comforting hand on her mate's arm and squeezed it lightly, calming him, before turning her attention to the others and answering for him, "A vampire's thirst is like a constant dull ache in their throats. The longer they go between hunts, the more pronounced it becomes. When they feed, it eases the pain, but it never really goes away."

She spoke softly, with a sympathetic tone that surprised the whole gathering, even Edward and his family. She truly seemed to understand what it was like for them… She seemed to know exactly what they experienced. More of her personal research? Or something else…

"When a vampire is first turned, it is almost impossible for them to control their urges to feed, because their human experiences couldn't have prepared them for the pain, the thirst, or the need to ease it. With time, they can learn control over these instincts, but the pain doesn't go away; they simply learn to live with it.

The Cullens already push themselves so far beyond what most of their kind are even capable of achieving by abstaining from human blood. It means that when they do hunt, they're never truly satisfied, and that burning pain never really eases, at least not as much as it does for human-drinkers. But to purposefully expose themselves to any amount of spilt human blood…" she trails off, but her meaning is clear to the vampires in the room. They are all amazed that she truly seems to grasp exactly what they deal with every day.

The others however are still somewhat confused.

"I still don't think I understand," Jacob admitted, "You said Sam was wrong, but from what you just explained, it certainly sounds like him being there for blood typing might end in him losing control and hurting someone, no offense," he directs the last bit to Edward, honestly not trying to be rude.

"If it were that, none of them would attend school at all," Bella tells him, her voice patient and calm, but also laced with a heavy sadness, "No, I trust he would have been able to control his thirst. But having them pricking themselves with him in the room… It would have been like setting his throat on fire, and then forcing himself to refuse the tall glass of water right in front of him. It would have been cruel torture. I hardly blame him for not wanting to put himself through that…"

The whole room was silent for a few moments as everyone gathered absorbed her words. The Cullens could not believe how well she understood their daily struggle, without ever experiencing it for herself. And everyone else was suddenly looking at this family of vampires through her eyes, trying to come to terms with the image she presented. How could they hate people, because it was becoming painfully obvious that they really were people, who put themselves through hell day in and day out so they wouldn't be monsters?

"Then how does Carlisle work in the hospital?" Charlie brought up the obvious exception in their behavioral patterns, "Surely he's surrounded by blood every single day."

It wasn't Carlisle who answered him though. Edward spoke with a proud smile, "Carlisle is the very strongest of all of us. He has never killed a single human in his long life, not even in his first years, when our thirst is its most unbearable. It has taken a very long time for him to garner the sort of absolute control necessary to perform surgery in a modern hospital, but he has achieved that."

Father smiled at son and thanked him silently, while the wolves tried to wrap their heads around this new piece of information. The leader of this vampire coven had never killed a single person, ever. He still wasn't human, but what grounds could they possibly have for their discrimination towards him now. He proved every day through his work that he was in control of his nature, and he was innocent of the only crime they had ever feared and hated him for.

When the silence began to drag on, Harry cleared his throat and refocused on the book in his hands, finding he really wanted to hear the rest of this story even more now.

 **As I half-ran to class, my head was spinning faster than the bottle cap. So few questions had been answered in comparison to how many new questions had been raised.**

 **At least the rain had stopped.**

 **I was lucky; Mr. Banner wasn't in the room yet when I arrived. I settled quickly into my seat, aware that both Mike and Angela were staring at me. Mike looked resentful; Angela looked surprised, and slightly awed.**

 **Mr. Banner came in the room then, calling the class to order. He was juggling a few small cardboard boxes in his arms. He put them down on Mike's table, telling him to start passing them around the class.**

 **"Okay, guys, I want you all to take one piece from each box," he said as he produced a pair of rubber gloves from the pocket of his lab jacket and pulled them on. The sharp sound as the gloves snapped into place against his wrists seemed ominous to me.**

"Intuition," Bella breathed, reminding them all that her odd reactions had meaning and were important, even if she didn't always listen to them back then.

 **"The first should be an indicator card," he went on, grabbing a white card with four squares marked on it and displaying it. "The second is a four-pronged applicator -" he held up something that looked like a nearly toothless hair pick "- and the third is a sterile micro-lancet." He held up a small piece of blue plastic and split it open.**

 **The barb was invisible from this distance, but my stomach flipped.**

Paul and Jared exchanged a confused glance. It was obvious that something was about to happen, but they couldn't figure out what. Bella was human, more or less, certainly not a vampire, so why would she not be ok with blood typing?

 **"I'll be coming around with a dropper of water to prepare your cards, so please don't start until I get to you." He began at Mike's table again, carefully putting one drop of water in each of the four squares. "Then I want you to carefully prick your finger with the lancet..." He grabbed Mike's hand and jabbed the spike into the tip of Mike's middle finger.**

 **Oh no. Clammy moisture broke out across my forehead.**

The wolves weren't the only ones looking at Bella oddly as Harry continued. She really shouldn't be reacting this way to this, it didn't make any sense to them.

 **"Put a small drop of blood on each of the prongs." He demonstrated, squeezing Mike's finger till the blood flowed. I swallowed convulsively, my stomach heaving.**

Bella was actually beginning to look a little green around the gills as she relived that moment, which only added to the growing confusion in the room.

 **"And then apply it to the card," he finished, holding up the dripping red card for us to see. I closed my eyes, trying to hear through the ringing in my ears.**

 **"The Red Cross is having a blood drive in Port Angeles next weekend, so I thought you should all know your blood type." He sounded proud of himself. "Those of you who aren't eighteen yet will need a parent's permission - I have slips at my desk."**

 **He continued through the room with his water drops. I put my cheek against the cool black tabletop and tried to hold on to my consciousness.**

Bella had closed her eyes tightly, trying not to remember the thick, metallic scent that had surrounded her in that classroom.

Carlisle was beginning to look at her worriedly. Edward had certainly never mentioned this sort of reaction to him. Did he know? From his expression as Harry continued reading, he guessed not, or at least not in this sort of detail.

 **All around me I could hear squeals, complaints, and giggles as my classmates skewered their fingers. I breathed slowly in and out through my mouth.**

She hated thinking about the salt and rust she could practically taste that day as she desperately tried to keep the scent from reaching her nose.

 **"Bella, are you all right?" Mr. Banner asked. His voice was close to my head, and it sounded alarmed.**

 **"I already know my blood type, Mr. Banner," I said in a weak voice. I was afraid to raise my head.**

 **"Are you feeling faint?"**

 **"Yes, sir," I muttered, internally kicking myself for not ditching when I had the chance.**

 **"Can someone take Bella to the nurse, please?" he called.**

 **I didn't have to look up to know that it would be Mike who volunteered.**

 **"Can you walk?" Mr. Banner asked.**

 **"Yes," I whispered. Just let me get out of here, I thought. I'll crawl.**

"I didn't realize it had been that bad," Edward murmured surprised and concerned, pulling Bella firmly back into his grasp and placing light kisses atop her head.

He hated the idea of her in any kind of distress, but this was also raising a lot of questions for him that he hadn't considered before. It was bizarre enough that she could apparently somehow smell human blood, but back then he had dismissed it. He assumed there had been a lot of blood in the classroom and that her nausea had been mostly psychological.

This seemed like a very physical reaction. And a severe one.

 **Mike seemed eager as he put his arm around my waist and pulled my arm over his shoulder. I leaned against him heavily on the way out of the classroom.**

 **Mike towed me slowly across campus. When we were around the edge of the cafeteria, out of sight of building four in case Mr. Banner was watching, I stopped.**

 **"Just let me sit for a minute, please?" I begged.**

 **He helped me sit on the edge of the walk.**

 **"And whatever you do, keep your hand in your pocket," I warned. I was still so dizzy.**

"If he had started his finger bleeding again, I might have passed out right there," Bella admitted, sounding suddenly exhausted.

 **I slumped over on my side, putting my cheek against the freezing, damp cement of the sidewalk, closing my eyes. That seemed to help a little.**

 **"Wow, you're green, Bella," Mike said nervously.**

 **"Bella?" a different voice called from the distance.**

 **No! Please let me be imagining that horribly familiar voice.**

"You didn't want to see me?" Edward asked, trying not to sound hurt. He had just been worried about her. Honestly, he was pretty worried about her right now. The idea of her not wanting him there made him incredibly sad.

"I just didn't want you to see me like that," Bella told him, "And I really didn't want to have to explain…" she breathed the last bit too low for human ears, remembering too late that the Cullens and the wolves would all still hear her.

"Explain what, love?" Edward replied just as silently, a frustrated rhetorical question she wasn't meant to hear.

But, of course, she did. Bella looked up at him, her expression pained, and just shook her head silently, begging him not to ask her that here, with everyone listening.

 **"What's wrong - is she hurt?" His voice was closer now, and he sounded upset. I wasn't imagining it. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to die.**

 **Or, at the very least, not to throw up.**

 **Mike seemed stressed. "I think she's fainted. I don't know what happened, she didn't even stick her finger."**

 **"Bella." Edward's voice was right beside me, relieved now. "Can you hear me?"**

 **"No," I groaned. "Go away."**

 **He chuckled.**

 **"I was taking her to the nurse," Mike explained in a defensive tone, "but she wouldn't go any farther."**

 **"I'll take her," Edward said. I could hear the smile still in his voice. "You can go back to class."**

 **"No," Mike protested. "I'm supposed to do it."**

 **Suddenly the sidewalk disappeared from beneath me. My eyes flew open in shock. Edward had scooped me up in his arms, as easily as if I weighed ten pounds instead of a hundred and ten.**

 **"Put me down!" Please, please let me not vomit on him. He was walking before I was finished talking.**

 **"Hey!" Mike called, already ten paces behind us.**

 **Edward ignored him. "You look awful," he told me, grinning.**

 **"Put me back on the sidewalk," I moaned. The rocking movement of his walk was not helping. He held me away from his body, gingerly, supporting all my weight with just his arms - it didn't seem to bother him.**

 **"So you faint at the sight of blood?" he asked. This seemed to entertain him.**

"Just a little light vampire humor, eh?" Paul jested, brightening the mood somewhat. Bella couldn't help but smile at this change in Paul. She was beginning to enjoy his teasing demeanor, even if it was layered beneath his angry, gruff façade. He sort of reminded her of Emmett.

 **I didn't answer. I closed my eyes again and fought the nausea with all my strength, clamping my lips together.**

 **"And not even your own blood," he continued, enjoying himself.**

 **I don't know how he opened the door while carrying me, but it was suddenly warm, so I knew we were inside.**

 **"Oh my," I heard a female voice gasp.**

 **"She fainted in Biology," Edward explained.**

 **I opened my eyes. I was in the office, and Edward was striding past the front counter toward the nurse's door. Ms. Cope, the redheaded front office receptionist, ran ahead of him to hold it open. The grandmotherly nurse looked up from a novel, astonished, as Edward swung me into the room and placed me gently on the crackly paper that covered the brown vinyl mattress on the one cot. Then he moved to stand against the wall as far across the narrow room as possible. His eyes were bright, excited.**

 **"She's just a little faint," he reassured the startled nurse. "They're blood typing in Biology."**

 **The nurse nodded sagely. "There's always one."**

 **He muffled a snicker.**

 **"Just lie down for a minute, honey; it'll pass."**

 **"I know," I sighed. The nausea was already fading.**

 **"Does this happen a lot?" she asked.**

 **"Sometimes," I admitted. Edward coughed to hide another laugh.**

 **"You can go back to class now," she told him.**

 **"I'm supposed to stay with her." He said this with such assured authority that - even though she pursed her lips - the nurse didn't argue it further.**

 **"I'll go get you some ice for your forehead, dear," she said to me, and then bustled out of the room.**

 **"You were right," I moaned, letting my eyes close.**

 **"I usually am - but about what in particular this time?"**

 **"Ditching is healthy." I practiced breathing evenly.**

"You have no idea how much I was regretting not listening to you in that moment," Bella still looks a little uneasy at the memory, but is smiling slightly as she speaks, "I would have without hesitation if you'd told me why you were going to ditch."

 **"You scared me for a minute there," he admitted after a pause. His tone made it sound like he was confessing a humiliating weakness. "I thought Newton was dragging your dead body off to bury it in the woods."**

 **"Ha ha." I still had my eyes closed, but I was feeling more normal every minute.**

 **"Honestly - I've seen corpses with better color. I was concerned that I might have to avenge your murder."**

"You would have too," she breathed, almost feeling sorry for Mike.

"Of course," he replied, unabashed, much to the unease of the wolves. Sam and Jared looked down at their imprints contemplatively. They would kill to protect their mates, and they would likely kill to avenge them if something happened to them. That didn't mean either of them were comfortable with the idea of a vampire in their territory considering killing a human that was meant to be under their protection, regardless of the circumstances…

 **"Poor Mike. I'll bet he's mad."**

 **"He absolutely loathes me," Edward said cheerfully.**

 **"You can't know that," I argued, but then I wondered suddenly if he could.**

 **"I saw his face - I could tell."**

 **"How did you see me? I thought you were ditching." I was almost fine now, though the queasiness would probably pass faster if I'd eaten something for lunch. On the other hand, maybe it was lucky my stomach was empty.**

 **"I was in my car, listening to a CD." Such a normal response - it surprised me.**

 **I heard the door and opened my eyes to see the nurse with a cold compress in her hand.**

 **"Here you go, dear." She laid it across my forehead. "You're looking better," she added.**

 **"I think I'm fine," I said, sitting up. Just a little ringing in my ears, no spinning. The mint green walls stayed where they should.**

"I've known many patients who have had adverse reactions to the sight of blood, Bella," Carlisle told her, sounding very concerned, but also incredibly curious, "But never such an extreme reaction, and I don't recall you actually seeing any of the blood."

He hadn't actually posed a question, so Bella didn't comment. She knew she had told Edward the truth, or at least part of it, back then, so they would all know soon enough anyway.

 **I could see she was about to make me lie back down, but the door opened just then, and Ms. Cope stuck her head in.**

 **"We've got another one," she warned.**

 **I hopped down to free up the cot for the next invalid.**

 **I handed the compress back to the nurse. "Here, I don't need this."**

 **And then Mike staggered through the door, now supporting a sallow-looking Lee Stephens, another boy in our Biology class. Edward and I drew back against the wall to give them room.**

 **"Oh no," Edward muttered. "Go out to the office, Bella."**

 **I looked up at him, bewildered.**

"Bewildered?" Edward was surprised by this, "Was it really such an odd request?"

"No," she wasn't sure how to explain, "It was just, well, I couldn't figure out how you knew… It makes sense now, but then…"

Understanding filled her boyfriend's eyes. She had smelt the blood. So had he. But neither had known the other could or did. He almost laughed at the thought before he remembered she really shouldn't have been able to smell human blood…

Everyone else just looked confused, but with a stern look from Bella, Harry continued.

 **"Trust me - go."**

 **I spun and caught the door before it closed, darting out of the infirmary. I could feel Edward right behind me.**

 **"You actually listened to me." He was stunned.**

 **"I smelled the blood," I said, wrinkling my nose. Lee wasn't sick from watching other people, like me.**

 **"People can't smell blood," he contradicted.**

"Well that's not strictly true," Carlisle began explaining, "Werewolves and vampires can all smell blood quite easily, and are still people."

"Werecats and Lycans too," Bella added helpfully, laughing silently at Edward's facial expression.

"Semantics," Edward muttered, "You know that's not what I meant."

"Well, you are correct in that humans ordinarily cannot smell blood," the doctor admitted, "At least not fresh blood. If a large amount of spilt blood is left out for long enough, and allowed to decay, humans can detect the smell. It is supposed to be like rotting meat, sometimes with a very slight metallic hint. That comes from the iron in the blood, but most humans can't smell that. In fact, even the 'smell of death' as many refer to the scent of old blood, is not actually the blood at all, but the decaying cells and the gases released during decomposition."

"So, in plain English Doc?" Charlie asked, a bit confused.

"There is absolutely no way that Bella should have been able to smell fresh blood as a human in any quantity or proximity. The fact that she could apparently smell just a few drops on Mr. Stephens' finger from across the room is beyond unlikely. It's not humanly possible."

Everyone in the room was now staring at Bella in varying levels of confusion and curiosity. She stared intently at her hands, clasped in her lap, and refused to meet any of their eyes.

When it became painfully obvious that whatever this was, she wasn't ready to talk about it, Harry sighed and began reading again.

 **"Well, I can - that's what makes me sick. It smells like rust... and salt."**

 **He was staring at me with an unfathomable expression.**

 **"What?" I asked.**

 **"It's nothing."**

But it wasn't nothing then, and it wasn't nothing now. Edward had been confused by her comment about smelling the blood then because he had momentarily wondered if she had somehow guessed his secret and was testing him. Now, he knew that wasn't the case at all, and that was even more frightening. She had actually smelled it, that single drop of blood on the teenage boy's finger.

Something no human should ever have been able to do…

And Edward was suddenly hit with the same thought coming from every mind in the room…

'Is Bella actually human at all?'


	6. Chapter 6 Human Monsters

**Chapter 6 – Human Monsters**

Bella was desperately trying to ignore the curious glances being thrown her way as Harry read on. Actual comments were few and far between, but she could practically hear the gears turning in each of their minds as he described her reactions to the blood typing that day.

It was so long ago, and in the grand scheme of things, that day had meant next to nothing to Bella, but S.M. had included it in vivid detail for a reason…

A reason which Bella really didn't want to discuss with any of them.

But, of course, that wasn't how things were going to go. S.M. was on a mission to dredge up as many skeletons as she could today, so Bella shouldn't have been surprised in the slightest by what happened next.

Harry sighed, resigned to continue reading without asking his burning questions, or allowing the rest of the gathering to begin their own interrogation, and quickly turned the page to continue on. Only to have yet another letter from their mystery friend slip from the pages.

Bella reached for it, but stopped short when she realized this letter was not in fact addressed to her as the others had been.

"It's for you, Edward," she spoke rigidly, her words almost silent. The last few letters had pushed her to expose some of her most closely guarded secrets, and had left her wracked emotionally. She really didn't want to know what this one would lead to…

Edward retrieved the letter and began reading it aloud immediately. He wanted to know what was going on here, and he hated invading his mate's privacy yet again, but he also knew that every single person in this room was just as concerned, curious, and confused as he was.

 **Edward,**

 **I wish I could give you the answers you seek. I wish I could give Bella the answers she has searched for for so long. You both deserve to know the truth about who and what she is. Everyone deserves that much at least, and the fact that she has never been given that is horribly unfair and cruel.**

 **I can tell you that our Bella is a beautiful soul who has suffered far too much in her life, and that so much of her suffering has come down to the mystery of what she is. And so she hides from it. She fights against it. And she desperately tries to ignore it. Please don't blame her for this; it is the only way she has survived so long in this world alone.**

 **But you must remind her that she is no longer in this alone. And this time no one will hurt her, or betray her. You are not Sasha. You are not Ian. And you are certainly not Lucas. Don't let the pain of her past keep her from trusting fully in you, and in your combined futures.**

 **You love her so much. I have witnessed your love, and it is an incredible, glorious thing to behold. Your family loves her. Her father loves her. And her protectors will come to love her, even if they do not know it yet.**

 **And someday, Nessie, my brothers, and I will love her too.**

 **She is not alone, and she doesn't need to hide who she is anymore. Help her to find the answers even she does not know, and remind her that she can share the ones she already does.**

 **There is so much more to her story, both past and future, and it pains me to think of the parts of herself she will never truly discover if she continues to rally against her own nature.**

 **With hope and love,**

 **S.M.**

Bella had risen from her seat as her boyfriend read his letter aloud, and now, as he finished, and laid the letter down on the table in front of him, she stood perfectly still before the front window. Her tiny, pale hands gripped the window sill as though she might fall at any moment. Her head was bowed, her eyes squeezed shut, and all the supes in the room could smell the saltwater tears streaming down her cheeks as she cried silently.

Edward rose from his seat, approaching her cautiously, like a cornered animal he was afraid to spook.

"Bell?" he tried to draw her attention, his voice soft and calm, "Love? Are you alright?"

Somewhere in her haze, Bella registered that a voice was calling to her. Not just any voice, Edward's voice, the voice of the man that she loved. But she couldn't bring herself to answer him, or even to open her eyes.

"What's going on?" Charlie whispered, trying to determine why his daughter was suddenly so emotional.

"I'm not sure Charlie," Billy replied, looking equally confused.

"It's Lucas," Jacob muttered, his suspicions confirmed when Bella's eyes shot open at hearing the name.

"Who the hell is Lucas?" Sam's hushed voice joined the conversation as they all watched Edward wrap his arms around Bella in a gesture of love and comfort.

"I imagine only she knows," Emily added, inclining her head toward the girl, still crying in her vampire's arms, "But that letter was S.M.'s not so subtle way of telling her it's time to explain the rest of her story, and I'd wager it's no less painful for her than anything else Bella has shared today."

"I was fourteen when I met him," Bella's voice reached them and they all turned to her. Edward still had his hands resting gently on her hips, but she had pulled away from his embrace and was again staring out the window as she spoke, unable to meet any of their eyes.

"Lucas Cavanagh. It was the summer before I was meant to begin high school in Phoenix, and I was working late when he came in," she began her story, only to have Paul cut in.

"Working late? You said you were fourteen? Why did you even have a job at all?" he asked. He really was curious, and more than a little angry with Renee, but he also asked as a way to give her time to gather her thoughts before diving into the harder parts of her story. She'd been dealing with explaining the strange mother-daughter dynamic all day, and though he suspected Charlie had no idea his daughter had been working as a kid, it was sure to be easier for her to talk about than whatever had happened with the mystery Lucas.

"I started waiting tables at this little pub down the street from our home when I was twelve. It was an off the books deal, and I was being paid under the table, but we needed the money," she explained, her eyes glazed over, no doubt filled with some memory. "Renee's a teacher, and she is paid barely enough to keep food on the table at the best of times. When I was twelve, she'd been dating this guy named Rick. He was alright as her boyfriends went, but he had a bit of a gambling problem…"

"So he got himself into some trouble, and Renee had to bail him out?" Jared guessed.

"Something like that. He had borrowed money from a couple of loan sharks downtown, and when he gambled away their loan instead of paying off his debts, he just landed himself in even more trouble," Bella continued her side story, surprised that it had captured everyone's attention just as surely as her previous accounts of her dealings in the supernatural.

"They were threatening Rick, and when that didn't produce their money fast enough, they started threatening Mom and I," Bella continued, "We didn't have a whole lot of choice. Renee drained our meager savings to appease them, but it wasn't enough. We sold the car, took out a second mortgage on the house, I started working at the pub. And I made Renee kick Rick out before he could pull us any deeper into his mess. Between her job and mine, it still took almost a year to pay off those men once and for all. And there were several months that year we went without things, unable to pay the cable or lights bills."

"Jesus, Bells," Charlie gasped, horrified that his daughter and ex-wife had gone through all of that and never said anything, "Why didn't you call me? I could have helped. Even if I couldn't get rid of the sharks altogether, I could have helped you pay them off. You shouldn't have had to deal with all of that."

"That's not the way those things work Dad," she answered patiently, "You know that. Rick owed them ten grand, which quickly became twenty when he was unable to pay. That number became thirty the second they realized he wasn't single and there was a kid involved. When it was all said and done, it took almost fifty to get them to leave us alone, and I'd imagine Rick is either still trying to pay his way out of that hole, or he is long dead.

Pulling you in would have meant another party that could potentially pay, which would have just doubled our debt. Not to mention, if Enrique had realized you were a cop... Mom and I would have been dead before you made it to Phoenix," Bella continued, her voice shaking slightly as she remembered the feel of the gun pressed into her throat, the sting as one of his men backhanded her in their living room.

She had done what needed to be done to keep herself and her mother alive, and she counted her lucky stars every day that they had not asked any more of her than they had…

Charlie looked horrified, likely only now realizing just how serious these men must have been to scare her after everything she had seen and been through before that. He had so much he wanted to say, so many questions he wanted to ask, but before he could form any of them, Bella pulled him into a tight embrace and said softly, "It was a long time ago. I'm alright, and so is Mom."

Her father did his best to take comfort in that, but knowing she had been in danger yet again, without him knowing, had his stomach twisting in knots. He silently stored away the name she had shared, Enrique, and promised himself he would look into the matter later on.

"Anyway," she continued in a slightly louder voice, turning back to the rest of the room, and settling between Charlie and Edward on the couch, "I had just turned thirteen when we finally paid off the debt, and by then I was used to juggling school and work fairly well. I still got top marks in my classes, and I knew that if we ever found ourselves in a situation like that again, I'd have enough saved up to help deal with it, even if Mom didn't. So, I kept on working there, even when it wasn't strictly necessary any more.

And honestly, I enjoyed the work. I started out just bussing and waiting tables, but after a while Joshua, the guy who owned the pub, let me start working in the kitchen too. I worked there in one capacity or another until I left Phoenix last year."

The story of Enrique and his men was still painful for Bella to relive, especially the parts of what happened she would never share with her father, but compared to what happened with Lucas and his coven, it was nothing. So, she was somewhat thankful that Paul had allowed her to divert the conversation for the time being. If nothing else, it had given her the time she needed to sort out what to tell them about Lucas.


	7. Chapter 7 Lux Nutricii

**A/N: I know this chapter is very short, but there is another coming right behind it which is longer. I could have uploaded them together, but this seemed like a good place to break them up, and this chapter just wasn't as long as mine usually are. I hope you don't mind. As always, thank you for reading, and I hope to see your thoughts in the reviews. :)**

 **Chapter 7 – Lux Nutricii**

Bella secretly hoped, they all might have forgotten about Lucas for the time being, and they could simply continue reading without further discussion of her past or her nature.

She should have known better. Vampires did have perfect recall after all.

"And that's where you met Lucas, right?" Jasper refocused the gathering, sensing her attempt at distraction, and refusing to allow her to avoid the subject.

Bella blew out a long breath, steadying herself, before she answered him as calmly as she could, "Yes. Lucas came in to the pub one night while he was passing through town. I was fourteen at the time, and was just finishing up my shift when he came in. It was almost midnight, and Josh was planning to close up soon, but he got real excited when he saw Lucas. They were old friends, though I didn't know it at the time, and Josh wanted to introduce us."

She looked up and noticed some of the guests were eyeing her strangely, "What?" she asked.

"What exactly was your relationship with this Josh fellow?" Charlie was the one to speak, though she could imagine the same thought was running through most of their minds.

Bella actually laughed. "Josh was my boss, and my friend. He helped Renee and I out when we were in a bad place, and was there for us after that. He's a good guy, and he actually dated Mom for a bit before she met Phil, though they were never serious. If anything, Josh treated me like his daughter, or his baby sister. He looked out for me. If I called him today, he'd been on a flight up here to help me with whatever was going on, no questions asked. There was absolutely nothing untoward between us, ever, and I would trust the man with my life."

Charlie looked appropriately chastised, and Edward again found himself somewhat impressed with the way his Bella had cut to the heart of the matter without anyone actually expressing their concerns. Charlie was her father, and had begun jumping to conclusions about this mystery man almost immediately, just worried that something else might have happened to his little girl that he didn't know about. Now he knew that wasn't the case at all, and he was glad she had had someone in her corner back then.

"Go on Bella," Jasper urged, trying to keep her from stalling in the telling of her real story, "What happened when Josh introduced you to Lucas?"

"He'd only been passing through," she reminded them, "Headed East to visit with some old friends and decided to come see Josh while he was in the area. Of course that plan went out the window the second he shook my hand…

It turned out Lucas was part of an order of magic users. They called themselves Lux Nutricii. It's Latin, and it means…"

"The Light Bringers," Carlisle finished, looking astonished.

"You know of them?" Bella asked carefully, now even more unsure about telling this story.

"I've heard stories, read some of the legends, but I've never actually met one of them," he answered, looking at her with awe and fascination, "I had been led to believe that they had all died out centuries ago."

Edward was equally fascinated as he saw his father's mind fill with stories and memories he had never seen or heard before. It was incredible. But everything his father knew led him to believe the witches were long gone.

"They hide, same as you," was her simple reply.

"But obviously you found out," Jacob commented, no longer really surprised. She always seemed to ferret out everyone's secrets.

"Yes, or rather he found me," she answered, smiling, "When we shook hands that night in the pub, Lucas felt my own magic, and suddenly had no desire to leave Phoenix. He had never encountered another person with magic who was not bound to a coven."

"Coven?" Sam asked, eyeing the vampires speculatively. He had only ever heard that term used to describe their species, and was growing a bit wary, especially since none of them knew anything about this supposed 'magic'.

"Of witches, not vampires. I didn't even know vampires existed back then," Bella clarified, thinking nothing of her reply, that is until every pair of eyes in the room widened in surprise.

"Lucas was a witch?" Billy needed to be sure he was understanding what she was saying correctly, at the same time Jacob blurted, "Witches are real?".

"Yes, to both," she answered, laughing lightly, "Specifically, Lucas was a light bringer. There are many different kinds of witches, with varying levels of power and abilities. Light bringers are healers primarily, and some have a limited ability to influence nature," she explained, "Lucas' former coven had been destroyed, so he was the very last of his kind, and he was traveling alone. When he realized I might be some sort of witch, he took an interest and decided to stick around."

Everyone was enthralled with her story once again, hoping to finally get some sort of answers about what Bella really was, and to finally explain away all of S.M.'s cryptic comments about Lucas and the coven.

Of course, they had no idea her tale would also answer a very important question Samuel Uley was afraid to ask…


	8. Chapter 8 Nachtwanderer

**Chapter 8 – Nachtwanderer**

"So," Old Quil began, "You're a witch then? Like this Lucas?"

"No," she answered simply, "I might be some sort of witch, I don't really know. But I am definitely not one of the Lux Nutricii."

"But then," Harry tried to cut in, but Bella silenced him with a look.

"Listen, this isn't easy for me to talk about," she spoke, letting her eyes fall to her lap, "I am doing my best to explain, but I don't have all the answers, and I've never told anyone about any of this before, so please, just let me tell you what happened."

Everyone nodded, and Harry looked somewhat apologetic for interrupting.

"Lucas told me about his people, and his gifts. He could heal minor physical injuries with a touch, and sometimes, when he was very emotional, he could influence the weather. He and Josh had known each other a long time, and had no secrets between them, so the two of them explained everything to me.

We spent the whole night talking, and by the time the sun rose, we were all laughing and joking. I didn't tell either of them about my dreams, too afraid of how they'd react after what had happened with the others, but I did tell them what I knew from Jon and Ian about magic and witches. There wasn't much, but Lucas helped me fill in a lot of the gaps.

It really is fascinating, and some of the legends are truly incredible, even if many of the witch clans actually have died out. After that night, Josh started scheduling me to work late night shifts so I could stay and work with Lucas on my breaks and after I finished my shifts.

We traced back my family's lineage on both sides to the early sixteenth century trying to find anything that might indicate where my magic came from and what sort of gifts I might possess, or if any others like me were still alive. We didn't find much of anything we were actually looking for, but I learned loads about my history, and it was fun. Lucas became a dear friend," she trailed off, her voice saddened, and Jacob thought he knew where this was going.

"You accepted him, let him in, came to care for him," Jacob guessed, "And at some point, he hurt you like the lycans and werecats did?"

"Not exactly," Bella hedged. He had left her sure, but not at all in the way the others had. It wasn't his choice…

"Just tell us what happened Bells," Charlie urged her.

"It was a couple of months after Lucas and I began our research together," she began again, seeming very tired, "Josh was out of town on business, and he offered to let me stay in his apartment above the pub while he was gone. Phil and Renee had just gotten together, and I was more than willing to give the happy couple some much needed space."

This comment had most of the group chuckling, but it earned a rather unpleasant look from both Charlie and Paul, neither of which were pleased to learn she had essentially moved out on her own, to live in a bar loft, because of her mother, even if it was only short term.

"I was essentially helping Josh run his pub at this point anyway, and school was out for summer, so I didn't mind taking over a lot of his duties while he was gone. And Lucas offered to stay with me and help," she revealed, which of course, earned another glare from Charlie.

No father wants to hear that his underage daughter was alone in an apartment, or a pub, with an older man, no matter their relationship.

"Remember I told you Lucas wasn't originally planning on staying in Phoenix?" she asked, and they all nodded, "Well, the friends he had been planning to visit decided it was time to come to him. The whole coven arrived on Josh's doorstep in the middle of the night.

Everything was fine at first. I trusted Lucas, and he had told me about most of these other witches, so I wasn't overly concerned about their presence, except maybe that Josh would be upset when he got home," she continued, laughing lightly at that last bit, though anyone could see the humor didn't reach her eyes.

"What changed?" Kim asked quietly.

"One of the witches with the coven was not a friend of Lucas'," Bella explained, "His name was Christof. And he was a type of witch known as a Nachtwanderer. The name is German, and basically means Night Walker. Lucas didn't know him, but his light magic recognized the dark magic in Christof right away.

As it turned out, it was a coven of night walkers that had murdered Lucas' former coven. Needless to say, a pretty nasty fight broke out. A woman from the visiting coven, Patricia, died before the night was through. She was a Portatore all'alba, like most of the visiting coven, but she was also Christof's half-sister."

"What's a porta- port- um…" Billy tried valiantly to ask, unable to pronounce the new term with the finesse Bella had employed.

"Portatore All'alba," Bella repeated for him. She might have laughed at his antics if this story didn't have her so tightly wound, "It's Italian, and means Dawn Bringer. They're a subset of witches with a culture very similar to the Lux Nutricii. This coven had once been allied with Lucas'."

"So the dawn bringers are a type of good witch similar to the light bringers, and the night walkers are the bad witches that killed the light bringers, but one of the night guys is the half-brother of one of the dawn gals, and somehow you and Lucas got caught in the middle of the whole mess?" Charlie summarized quickly, his eyebrows drawn together in concentration.

"Essentially, yes, though there aren't really good witches and bad witches any more than there are good vampires and bad vampires," Bella explained.

"I'm still fairly hesitant to use the label of good vampire to describe any vampire, but if I were to," Sam responded, "It would be reserved for gold eyes, and bad vampire for red eyes."

That did make Bella laugh, "Then I suppose you might say that the only good humans are vegans, and the rest of us fall under bad humans because we kill to eat?"

She was right and every one of them knew it, but it didn't make it any easier for the Quileutes to deal with. They were protectors. They fought and killed Cold Ones to protect human life. In order to deal with that, they truly needed to believe that those they killed were somehow less than human, that they were monsters who needed to be destroyed. Any other way of thinking would leave them wracked with guilt.

"Magic is not inherently good or evil. It has been classified over the millennia as light and dark, but that is not really a fair way of looking at things, and it isn't a cut and dry, one or the other scenario. Dawn bringers wield both light and dark magic, and often have abilities related to time. It's how they use their power that determines if they are good or bad; what they do, not who they are," Bella continued.

"It's that belief that allows me to sit in this room right now, surrounded by vampires and shape-shifters, without fear or hate. What you are is dangerous and harbors the potential for great violence, but who you are and what you have done, allows me to trust and care for you. Witches are no different."

Carlisle looked truly touched by her words, and Esme reached across the table to squeeze her hand, silently thanking her for her acceptance and conveying her understanding. Everyone else just looked stunned. How could someone who had known so much pain, so much violence and hate, be so forgiving and open-minded?

"Are there more kinds of witches than the three you've explained?" Carlisle suddenly asked.

"There are thousands of different types that have walked the Earth at one time or another," she replies with a sad smile, "Most have been killed off over the years, by other supes, or enemy covens, or even by humans that discovered their secret. Most witches are essentially human, with a little something extra. They're special, but also for the most part just as vulnerable as a human. So they have to hide what they can do even more closely than do vampires. Nobody really knows how many are left in the world."

"Ok, as fascinating as all this stuff is," Emmett spoke up before his father could ask his next question, "Can we please finish the story? I really want to know what Christof did, and what happened with Lucas, and any more clues about whether or not you're really a super cool witch of some kind."

His excitement was contagious, and suddenly everyone in the room was looking just as eager as their eyes shifted back to Bella, waiting for her to finish her explanation. She of course was not so eager, and her solemn expression sobered the rest of them up rather quickly.

"Christof was distraught when he realized Patricia was dead," she began again, "He wanted to kill Lucas right then and there, even though it had been an accident. Lucas had come at Christof with a seraph blade, and Patricia had jumped between them to protect her brother."

"A seraph blade?" Jasper asked gently, recognizing this was painful for her, but also incredibly curious.

"It's a curved sword, similar to a katana, about as long as your forearm," Bella explained, gesturing to her own arm as she spoke, "But a witch's seraph blade is enchanted, usually by a light bringer, or a day walker, or one of the more powerful light magic users. They're stronger and sharper than any blade a human could forge, and can counteract many dark spells. Lucas always carried his with him," she paused for a moment, looking rather hesitant, "I actually have one as well, that Lucas enchanted for me…"

"What?!" Billy, Harry, Charlie, Carlisle, Esme, and Edward all exclaimed at once, looking horrified at the thought of her wielding such a weapon. Their simultaneous reaction was quite humorous to Bella.

"Patricia's coven was able to get Christof to leave before there was more violence, but he swore that night that he would destroy both Lucas and myself for taking his sister from him, not that that's particularly fair considering it was an accident on Lucas' part, and I didn't even do anything. Regardless, when you receive a death threat from a night walker, you take it seriously. So, Lucas got me my own blade and performed the enchantments the following night."

This was simply meant as an explanation for why she had the blade, but the result was immediate, and unexpected to Bella. Everyone in the room, even the young, human imprints, began looking about as though they expected someone to come charging in and try to kill her.

Bella had to resist laughing at their reaction. She hadn't meant to worry them, but of course, they had no way of knowing that danger was long since passed.

"Bella, is Christof still out there? Are you in danger?" Edward asked urgently, assuming that this must have been what S.M. was so concerned about. If they all left her here alone and this dark witch came back…

But that was not the case at all, and Bella turned to him quickly, hoping to ease his fears, "God no. Edward, Christof is long dead."

"How?" Charlie was almost afraid to ask, suddenly seeing images in his mind of his daughter holding a blood-soaked sword, "Did Lucas kill him? Did… did you?"

"No," Bella answered, her voice once again thick with pain and loss, "Christof killed Lucas two weeks later. He died in my arms; there was nothing I could do…" she sobbed out the last bit, her emotions completely overtaking her again. No one really understood what was going on. If Lucas was dead, and she hadn't killed Christof, then what had happened?

"Josh came home that night," she continued, "That was how he found us, on the floor, in the small bedroom of his apartment, Lucas' dead body cradled in my arms…

Josh helped me to bury him, and then he told me to clean up the apartment and stay inside until he came back. When he returned, almost six hours later, he was naked as the day he was born, and drenched in blood. He told me that Christof was dead. The rest of his sister's coven had fought to protect him, and Josh was forced to kill them as well.

I don't even know how he was able to kill them. When I asked he said he wasn't quite as human as he allowed everyone to believe, that his people were once powerful warriors, and that he had inherited their gifts, and that the how didn't really matter. Just that he would always protect me…"

Bella was crying steadily now, bordering on incoherent as she relived that horrible night, and she wasn't really thinking too hard about the words she spoke as she explained what had transpired.

Sam, however, was, and couldn't believe what he was hearing. It couldn't be, could it?

 **A/N: I'm sure a lot of you can see where this is going for Sam, but if you can't that's ok. I won't make you wait too long to find out. I hope you all like what I have in store for him. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to reading your reviews. :)**


	9. Chapter 9 The Forgotten Wolf

**Chapter 9 – The Forgotten Wolf**

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Bella was telling yet another of her tales, another story of death and loss and supernatural danger from her past. And everyone was horrified as always, and Bella was growing emotional in a way, none of them had ever seen before today's painful revelations.

But none of that was why Sam couldn't tear his eyes away from the girl as she spoke. None of the devastation was reaching him right now. He was in complete and utter shock.

Josh. Josh was a common enough name right? Was it even short for Joshua? He couldn't remember if she had said so or not. It didn't mean anything.

Not human. He could be anything; Bella had more than proven she attracted supes in a wide variety. And he didn't even know if Joshua was human or not now. It didn't mean anything.

There was no way that she had somehow stumbled across his Joshua in Phoenix. It just wasn't possible, was it? He had looked everywhere for him, for years. So had Allison. There was just no way. It didn't mean anything.

Unless it did…

Edward listened to Sam's inner ramblings with growing interest, trying to piece together what it was the alpha wolf thought he knew about his mate's friend and protector. Protector. It couldn't be that Sam thought he was… Oh my God.

Jasper's head was flipping back and forth between Bella and Edward on one side of the room, and Sam on the other. Back and forth over and over again, like someone watching an incredibly fast tennis match. So much confusion and curiosity and anxiety and pain. He did his best to push the worst of it down, deciding to focus his efforts on the wolf, in case he might accidentally shift from his emotional turmoil. Then the empath sent a heavy dose of confidence for good measure.

Whatever his question was, whatever had him thinking so hard that he was driving Edward up a wall as well, Jasper wanted to know.

"Bella?" Sam spoke, regaining her attention, and with it the attention of everyone else in the room, "What was Josh's full name?"

The elders all grew wide-eyed as they heard Sam's question and realized what he was thinking. It made sense… the blood, the nudity, powerful warriors, gifts from his people…

"Joshua Samuel Levi," Bella answered, confused, "Why?"

"Bella, my father's name was Joshua Levi Uley. I am Samuel Levi Uley. Levi is a family name, after my great-grandfather, Levi Uley, a member of the last active pack. No one has seen or heard from my father since he left the reservation suddenly when I was very young. I," he paused, trying to expel the emotion from his own voice, "I think the Josh you knew, may well be my father, living under an assumed name."

Suddenly, realization flashed through her eyes, "And he was able to destroy the coven and protect me, because he is also a wolf, a shape-shifting spirit warrior… My God! You're him. You're the little boy he had to leave behind."

"What?" Sam asked, his voice trembling slightly. Had his father spoken of him? And what did she mean, 'had to leave behind'? Joshua Uley abandoned him and his mother. He didn't have to do anything.

"Josh told me that he had been married when he was very young, that he had a son he loved, but that something had happened to him that put his family in danger," she explained, her voice pained, "That rather than risk either of them, he had run from his home and his family. He thought he was a monster…"

Sam looked like he was going to cry. He had spent his whole life hating his father for abandoning him and his mom, but if what she was saying was true, he had left to protect them.

"He phased alone," Emily whispered, "When Sam phased for the first time, he disappeared for weeks, unable to phase back, confused and terrified, completely alone. But the elders found him, and helped him. If Joshua phased years ago, equally alone, and no one knew…"

"He couldn't control his change, and had no one to help him. No one to explain what he was or why he had turned," Bella concluded her thoughts, "So he ran, putting as much distance between himself and his family as he could, afraid they'd reject him, afraid he might hurt them. Gods, that sounds like something Josh would do, the old fool, he's always so damn self-sacrificing…"

"Can you," Sam began, unsure what he wanted to ask, or even how to ask the questions he could form, "Can you tell me about him? I mean, I haven't seen him since I was a little kid, and I don't really remember all that much about him, and Mom doesn't talk about him anymore, because it hurts her too much, you know?"

Bella chuckled lightly as she listened to Sam rambling, turning slightly from Edward's arms to face Sam fully. She reached across the table as Esme had earlier, taking Sam's big, warm hand in her own much smaller one, and squeezing gently.

"Of course Sam," she assured him, "Josh owns the pub I told you about. It's called Ally's Corner. Most everyone thinks the name is a play on the fact that the place is in a really bad part of town, with dark alleys on two sides, but he told me he named it after his wife."

"My mom," Sam whispered, his eyes bright, "Her name is Allison, but he always called her Ally."

"He lives in the little apartment above Ally's, and he basically lives for his work most of the time, but I used to drag him out to the desert for weekend trips," she continued, never letting go of Sam's hand as she spoke to him, her voice full of love, "We would camp out for the night, far away from the bustle of the city, lay out in the bed of his truck, and just stare up at the stars.

Josh taught me my constellations, and he would tell these incredible stories about the origins of each one," a single tear began slowly trailing down Sam's cheek as she kept going, "We'd roast marshmallows and he'd tell ghost stories. I think some of them might have been old legends of his tribe; I just never knew he was Quileute…"

"He told you our legends?" Sam asked, surprised.

"My favorite was the story of Thunderbird and Whale," she confirmed, letting all the joy and peace Josh brought into her life seep into her voice, "Renee came with us a few times while they were dating. It was the only time I was ever able to get my mother to even consider camping in the desert."

She was laughing quietly at the memory, and then her eyes grew wide and she blurted, "Oh God, I set up my mom with your dad!"

This of course had everyone else busting up laughing.

"You sure did," Sam tried to say, his words swallowed up in his tearful laughter, "Tell me more."

"He loves whiskey and hates bourbon," she told him, the mischievous look in her eye letting everyone know she had joined him in his drinking activities even if she would never admit it to her Police Chief father, "He listens to soulful jazz music, but can't stand traditional classical pieces. That was the start of more debates between us than I care to admit," she continued, her cheeks growing pink.

"Josh likes to paint, and he's really quite good, even if he doesn't believe me when I tell him so," she told Sam, "He was actually the one that taught me how to draw."

"He volunteers at the youth recreation center downtown, coaching lacrosse and soccer, and mentoring boys from broken homes," she informed them all, "I suppose it's his way of making up for not being able to be there for his son, for you Sam."

This hurt for the alpha to hear, but it also helped him to know that his father was a good person who would have been an amazing father to him growing up if things had been different.

"He talks about you all the time, you know," Bella continues, her voice light, "He missed you every single day, you and your mom, and he always loved you."

She paused, looking deep into Sam's eyes, trying to convey all the things words simply couldn't express. She loved Josh like he was her own father, and she desperately wanted Sam to understand that he was still his father and that he was a father the man could be proud of.

When she realized he was too choked up to respond, she continued, telling him everything she could think of.

"Josh taught me how to drive. He went with me to find a used car when I turned sixteen since Mom never bought a new one after the fiasco with Enrique," several growls erupted at the reminder of Bella being threatened by the human criminal.

She ignored their reaction, too absorbed in her own memories to pay them any mind in that moment, "He even haggled with the car dealership guy and got me a really good deal. He was there when I needed to talk to someone about Mom or school or, well anything really. He helped me deal with losing Lucas, and with time I told him the basics of what happened with Sasha's family.

He made me feel safe during one of the hardest times of my life, and he stood by me when I felt completely alone and helpless. I am fully convinced that I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for that man. I think he, more than just about anyone else in my life, helped make me who I am today. I owe him everything."

Her words were powerful and moving. The Cullens felt as though they knew this man they had never met, and wolf or not, they all respected him and were grateful to him for watching over their Bella when she had no one else. The elders, who had all written Joshua Uley off years ago as a screw-up who ran out on his family, felt as though their whole world was flipped on its head yet again. Charlie was incredibly sad that he never had those moments with his daughter, but also desperately wanted to thank his old friend for filling those holes in her life, and for keeping her safe when he couldn't.

And Sam… Sam felt hope for the first time in years. Hope that his father still loved him and might come home someday. Hope that he might really grow into his wolf the way it sounded like Josh had with his. Hope that Bella might be able to bring some of that joy back into his life.

"Do you want to see him Sam?" she asked, her voice uncertain. His hope flared even more. Would he really come if she called? That's what she had said earlier, right? That he would be on the first flight if she needed him…

"Yes," he answered, his voice thick with emotion, "More than anything. I have so many questions, so many years' worth of questions. And I have missed him so much. I, I…" he trailed off, overcome with emotion. None of the other tribesmen had ever seen Sam Uley cry, not ever, and that was a testament to how much this meant to him.

"Hold on," Bella said, fishing her cell phone out of her pocket, and punching in a single number. What was she doing? Was she going to call Josh right now? He was on her speed dial?

She raised the phone to her ear, and every wolf and vampire in the room listened in silent anticipation as it rang once before a deep voice answered, "Bells?"

"Yeah, Josh, it's me," she replied, quickly wiping at the tears which still stained her face, trying not to sound upset, though she knew he would hear it anyway.

"What's wrong Bella? You sound like you've been crying," he wasn't fooled, and he sounded worried. Sam could hear something rustling in the background. Sheets? He was getting out of bed, and getting dressed. It was almost seven in the evening, but if he ran a bar, he might just sleep odd hours. But was he really getting up and getting ready to leave his place because she was upset? She wasn't kidding when she said he would come running if she called…

"Nothing's wrong Josh," she tried to calm him down, "It's just been an emotional day. But something is very, very right," she paused, turning a pointed look at Sam before she said, "Samuel Levi Uley is sitting right in front of me."

"Sammie?" Josh asked, his voice breaking slightly at the end.

"Yes," Bella confirmed, trying not to get emotional again, "Your little Sammie is all grown up now, and he very much wants to see his father."

"I can't," Josh sounded like he was going to cry, "You know I can't. God Bells, I miss him and Ally so much, but I can't go back there, not now. I'm, I, Bella it's…"

"Ok, I'm going to ask you a question and you're going to give me a straight answer," Bella informed him, cutting off his ramblings, completely unphased by his previous response, "You turn into an extremely large wolf, hunt vampires, dark witches and the like, and left Sammie and Ally behind when you did because you were afraid of hurting them or being rejected by them. Yes, or no?"

The humans in the room couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, and so they didn't see Bella's question coming, but they stayed silent. Everyone stayed silent, all holding their collective breaths as they waited for Josh to reply.

It was almost a full minute before he finally sighed loudly and said simply, "Yes."

"Good," Bella accepted his short response and began speaking again, "Your son is now like you, and I am sitting in my boyfriend's living room with Sam, two other wolves, their imprints, a future wolf, the tribal elders and chief, my father, and a family of animal-drinking vampires, and we are all dissecting a book written by a mystery clairvoyant from my future about my life. Are you ready to come home and see your son now?"

They all heard the ignition fire in his old truck as he pulled out of the back alley behind Ally's. "I'll be on the next flight into Seattle. And when I get there, you and I are going to have a serious talk missy, you hear me?"

"Yes sir," she laughed, "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too honey, I've missed you too. Take care of my boy, and tell him I love him. I'll see you both in a couple of hours." And then he hung up, and Bella flipped her phone shut with a smile.

"I told you he'd be on the first flight up here if I ever had need to call him," she reminded them, laughing, and Sam swept her up in a bear hug, whispering "Thank you, spirits, thank you," over and over again as he spun her around.

"Ok, Sammie," Bella teased, "You can put me down now," she was laughing heartily as he complied, "Now, why don't you take Paul and Jared and go run a quick patrol to make sure no one's burnt down the Res while we've been here today, and Esme, the girls and I will get some dinner started. Then we can all finish the chapter of Twilight we started earlier, and get situated for the night. I'm assuming one of our non-sleeping members," she gestured to the Cullens who all smiled at her antics, "would be more than happy to pick up Josh from the airport at whatever ungodly hour he arrives, but I am going with them, and I assume you will be also Sam?" he nodded in reply, "So I want a few hours of sleep before then if possible."

And with that, the whole of the gathering was a hustle of animated movement, all the emotional turmoil of the afternoon momentarily forgotten in the anticipation of Josh's return home.


	10. Chapter 10 Longest Day, Ever

**A/N: This will likely be the last chapter where the characters read the book together for quite some time, so I apologize in advance to those of you who are going to miss that side of the story line, and I hope you really enjoy this chapter. It is a little longer than usual for this story, and there isn't a lot of action, but I think you'll all really enjoy it.**

 **I also want to give a special shout-out to all of my loyal readers and reviewers for the TRT series. My email has been flooded with reviews and PMs from the last batch of updates, and I am so excited to hear everything my readers are saying. You guys are my motivation, and I can't tell you how much it means as a writer to receive so much enthusiasm and feedback from all of you.**

 **And now, on with the chapter...**

 **Chapter 10 – Longest Day, Ever**

Bella was rinsing off the dishes from dinner nearly two hours later, deep in thought. She couldn't believe the turn her day had taken.

Normal teenage girls went to school on Fridays and planned for their fun, carefree weekends, and ditched class to make out with their boyfriends.

Normal teenage girls did not receive letters from strangers who could read minds and see the future. Normal teenage girls did not know werecats, lycans, witches, shape-shifters, and vampires.

Bella Swan was most decidedly not a normal teenage girl. But even for her, today had been complete insanity. And now, to top it all off, their mystery friend had helped reveal a familial relationship between her dear friend Josh and the young alpha wolf.

Yeah, insanity was a good way of describing it.

Bella was brought out of her inner musings by the buzzing of her cell phone. She so rarely used the device that she wasn't sure at first what was making the noise, but when she located the source and read the message she'd received, it brought a smile to her face.

'Boarding flight to Seattle now. Then quick flight back to Port A. See you in 6 hours. Love you Bells.' -Josh

She fired back a quick reply, 'Fly safe. We'll be there when you land in PA. Love you too' and then, setting the last of the dishes in the rack, made her way back into the living room, her broad smile still firmly in place.

Everyone had returned and retaken their seats by the time she walked in.

"Josh will be landing in Port Angeles in six hours," Bella informed them all, "Edward, he's going to want to meet you, and probably interrogate you," she continued laughing at the expression on her boyfriend's face, "So you might as well be the one to drive Sam and I up there. With your driving, we won't need to leave for at least five and a half hours."

"Plenty of time to finish the chapter, and for you and Sam to get a nap in before we leave," Edward concluded, happy to see Bella was in a much better mood now that Josh was coming.

Harry reached for the book, to start back up where he left off, but Jared beat him to it.

"My turn with the book," the young wolf said simply, before flipping it open and beginning the story again.

 **Mike came through the door then, glancing from me to Edward. The look he gave Edward confirmed what Edward had said about loathing. He looked back at me, his eyes glum.**

 **"You look better," he accused.**

 **"Just keep your hand in your pocket," I warned him again.**

 **"It's not bleeding anymore," he muttered. "Are you going back to class?"**

"This kid really isn't the brightest, is he?" Old Quil commented, trying not to laugh, "You clearly don't react well to blood, and he wants you to go back to the classroom full of people pricking their fingers?"

"Mike doesn't tend to think before he speaks," Bella told him smirking, "And I'm pretty sure he is even less forward thinking when it comes to women."

"Especially when it comes to you," Edward agreed, looking like he had just tasted something sour, "He is jealous of me, hates me really, and he is fairly obsessed with you. He wasn't thinking about your best interests at all that day; he just wanted to get you away from me."

"He will never come between us," Bella whispered her reassurance, before kissing him sweetly on the cheek, "No one will."

Edward just prayed that nothing she learned through these books about their future together would change her mind. He really needed to have a serious discussion with her about all of this very soon.

 **"Are you kidding? I'd just have to turn around and come back."**

 **"Yeah, I guess... So are you going this weekend? To the beach?" While he spoke, he flashed another glare toward Edward, who was standing against the cluttered counter, motionless as a sculpture, staring off into space.**

 **I tried to sound as friendly as possible. "Sure, I said I was in."**

 **"We're meeting at my dad's store, at ten." His eyes flickered to Edward again, wondering if he was giving out too much information. His body language made it clear that it wasn't an open invitation.**

 **"I'll be there," I promised.**

"Ok, I'm a little confused again," Jacob cut Jared off, looking at Bella with his eyebrow raised in question, "You clearly don't like this Mike fellow. Edward despises him. He clearly has feelings for you that you don't return in the slightest, and he is possibly dating one of your other friends from school."

"Yes?" Bella replied, unsure where he was going with this.

"So, why agree to go to the beach with him?" Jacob asked, "If we weren't all listening to your thoughts right now, I might have thought you were leading him on for some reason, but that clearly wasn't the case, at least not intentionally. So, why go with him at all? He clearly was trying to find a way to take you on a date, even if it was a group thing."

Bella was quiet for a moment as she contemplated her answer. The real answer was something she did not want to discuss with them, but truthfully, after everything she had shared today, what was one more small piece of the puzzle revealed at this point? S.M. wanted her to trust these people, her friends and family, with everything, and that meant no more lies, not even lies of omission.

"I know I've mentioned that I never dated before I came back to Forks," Bella finally spoke, her voice calm and quiet, "At first, this was because no one in Phoenix paid me any mind. I was a freak, ridiculed by my classmates, basically an outcast among humans.

You know that the few people I was close to over the years either died or left me behind," she continued, her eyes growing wet with tears she fought not to let fell, "So I learned to keep my distance. I didn't make friends. I didn't try to fit in. Aside from Josh, who I only made the effort to get to know at first because it was absolutely necessary; we needed the money so I had to play nice with my boss. Josh became my friend, like family, but he was the exception, not the rule.

After Lucas died, I was even worse. I pulled away from Charlie, from you Jake, and your sisters. I stopped coming back here to visit. I refused to let anyone in, for fear of getting hurt.

But there was something Jon and Ian told me, before everything went wrong there and they left, something about my supposed nature. They didn't have a name for what I am, and most of what they thought they knew about me was based on extremely old legends from peoples long dead. I didn't take any of it very seriously at the time, but a lot of what they said proved true eventually.

They told me that something inside of me would appeal to human men on an instinctual level, that as I came of age, and came into my magic, I would become more and more enticing to the opposite sex. Essentially, Mike Newton, and all of the other human men around my age are drawn to me like magnets, through no real fault of their own.

So, when I saw the signs here in Forks, I made a choice. I could have pushed everyone away and lived the rest of my life completely alone, controlled by the fear from my past. Or I could do my best to make friends, primarily female friends, and put up with some unwanted attention when I interacted in groups.

So to answer your question Jake," she concluded, "I did not want to spend time with Mike, but I had decided it was worth it to put up with him so I could be friends with Angela, Jessica, and the others. And I wasn't overly concerned with whether or not I accidentally said something to lead him on, because he was going to obsess over me either way."

"Damn," Jacob muttered, looking somewhat taken aback at her long-winded admission. His eyes were huge, and no one said another word before after a solid minute of awkward silence, Jared continued reading.

But Edward couldn't help but wonder if maybe this new information was the missing piece he'd been looking for. Bella had so much difficulty believing that he loved her, even though all the other guys here were very interested in her as well. They were human so she believed they had to like her, regardless of their true feelings. And he was not, so it must be impossible for him to feel that way of his own accord, since evidently no one had before she started coming into her magic…

It was preposterous, but also very much something he would expect her to think given this new information. Somehow, Edward would just have to prove to her that he really did love her, without any magic pull or unnatural attraction.

 **"I'll see you in Gym, then," he said, moving uncertainly toward the door.**

 **"See you," I replied. He looked at me once more, his round face slightly pouting, and then as he walked slowly through the door, his shoulders slumped. A swell of sympathy washed over me. I pondered seeing his disappointed face again... in Gym.**

 **"Gym," I groaned.**

 **"I can take care of that." I hadn't noticed Edward moving to my side, but he spoke now in my ear. "Go sit down and look pale," he muttered.**

 **That wasn't a challenge; I was always pale, and my recent swoon had left a light sheen of sweat on my face. I satin one of the creaky folding chairs and rested my head against the wall with my eyes closed. Fainting spells always exhausted me.**

 **I heard Edward speaking softly at the counter.**

 **"Ms. Cope?"**

 **"Yes?" I hadn't heard her return to her desk.**

 **"Bella has Gym next hour, and I don't think she feels well enough. Actually, I was thinking I should take her home now. Do you think you could excuse her from class?" His voice was like melting honey. I could imagine how much more overwhelming his eyes would be.**

"Poor Ms. Cope," Bella commented with a light laugh, trying to lighten back up the mood.

"Compulsion again?" Carlisle asked Bella for confirmation, though he was beginning to really understand what she had been seeing all along. It still baffled him that in nearly a century, he had never noticed this gift in his son, yet she had seen it nearly from day one.

Bella simply nodded, looking at Edward with a hint of amusement. His little hidden talent could be quite useful when he was using it to get her out of gym class, but he really did need to learn to control it somehow, so he wasn't dazzling every person he ever spoke to.

 **"Do you need to be excused, too, Edward?" Ms. Cope fluttered. Why couldn't I do that?**

 **"No, I have Mrs. Goff, she won't mind."**

 **"Okay, it's all taken care of. You feel better, Bella," she called to me. I nodded weakly, hamming it up just a bit.**

 **"Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you again?" With his back to the receptionist, his expression became sarcastic.**

 **"I'll walk."**

 **I stood carefully, and I was still fine. He held the door for me, his smile polite but his eyes mocking. I walked out into the cold, fine mist that had just begun to fall. It felt nice - the first time I'd enjoyed the constant moisture falling out of the sky - as it washed my face clean of the sticky perspiration.**

 **"Thanks," I said as he followed me out. "It's almost worth getting sick to miss Gym."**

 **"Anytime." He was staring straight forward, squinting into the rain.**

 **"So are you going? This Saturday, I mean?" I was hoping he would, though it seemed unlikely. I couldn't picture him loading up to carpool with the rest of the kids from school; he didn't belong in the same world. But just hoping that he might gave me the first twinge of enthusiasm I'd felt for the outing.**

"I wish I could have gone with you, love," Edward told her honestly.

"Wasn't your fault Mike planned his little adventure for La Push," Bella assured him, "I know you would have come if we had been going anywhere else."

Sam was surprised to find he actually felt a little bad about this small part his tribe had played in making the start to their relationship even more uneasy. He fully understood why the Cullens were not allowed on the reservation, and until today he had never once questioned the necessity of that clause in the treaty. But perhaps it was too harsh. Or perhaps not. He needed to hear the rest of what these books had to share about their collective futures, and then speak with Billy and the elders before he decided one way or the other.

 **"Where are you all going, exactly?" He was still looking ahead, expressionless.**

 **"Down to La Push, to First Beach." I studied his face, trying to read it. His eyes seemed to narrow infinitesimally.**

 **He glanced down at me from the corner of his eye, smiling wryly. "I really don't think I was invited."**

 **I sighed. "I just invited you."**

 **"Let's you and I not push poor Mike any further this week. We don't want him to snap." His eyes danced; he was enjoying the idea more than he should.**

 **"Mike-schmike." I muttered, preoccupied by the way he'd said "you and I." I liked it more than I should.**

"I'm pretty sure he liked the sound of it too Bells," Emmett teased, "After all, he did take you out, eventually."

Em was teasing them, and his comment got a laugh out of everyone there, but the reminder was unpleasant for Bella none-the-less. Their first 'date' immediately followed a very unpleasant encounter in a dark alley in Port Angeles, an instance she was not looking forward to reliving through the books.

Jasper noticed her reaction and frowned. What was running through her head?

Edward couldn't help the sudden sadness that befell him at hearing Jasper's assessment. It was clear to him what Bella was remembering, and he hated that SM was going to expose yet another painful moment from his mate's life to everyone in her life regardless of her feelings on the matter. He also hated the fact that this clearly still bothered her, even if she never said anything to him.

He got there in time to stop those vile creatures from harming her, but the intent had been clear even if she couldn't hear every graphic detail in their minds the way he had. And that intent was enough to rattle her at least a little.

 **We were near the parking lot now. I veered left, toward my truck. Something caught my jacket, yanking me back.**

 **"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, outraged. He was gripping a fistful of my jacket in one hand.**

 **I was confused. "I'm going home."**

 **"Didn't you hear me promise to take you safely home? Do you think I'm going to let you drive in your condition?" His voice was still indignant.**

 **"What condition? And what about my truck?" I complained.**

 **"I'll have Alice drop it off after school." He was towing me toward his car now, pulling me by my jacket. It was all I could do to keep from falling backward. He'd probably just drag me along anyway if I did.**

"Demanding, persistent, pain in the," Bella began ranting under her breath, only to be cut off by Esme's reproaching, "Bella!".

"Sorry," Bella replied as her blush spread across her cheeks, though she really wasn't sorry at all. Edward wasn't the only one that had a lot of things to discuss later. She really needed to have a private conversation with her boyfriend about his controlling tendencies if they were going to continue to be happy together.

 **"Let go!" I insisted. He ignored me. I staggered along sideways across the wet sidewalk until we reached the Volvo. Then he finally freed me - I stumbled against the passenger door.**

 **"You are so pushy!" I grumbled.**

 **"It's open," was all he responded. He got in the driver's side.**

 **"I am perfectly capable of driving myself home!" I stood by the car, fuming. It was raining harder now, and I'd never put my hood up, so my hair was dripping down my back.**

 **He lowered the automatic window and leaned toward me across the seat. "Get in, Bella."**

 **I didn't answer. I was mentally calculating my chances of reaching the truck before he could catch me. I had to admit, they weren't good.**

"I wouldn't have had much luck outrunning a normal, human guy," Bella mused, her thoughts circling back to those four men cornering her. She had contemplated running that night too, "There's absolutely no way I would have gotten to my truck before you, and I knew it."

Jasper was growing a little concerned with Bella's spiraling emotions. It reminded him a bit of Rose's just before she was having one of her flashbacks. Was there something about this situation that was triggering memories for Bella? He passed his worries along to Edward silently, hoping his brother might have more insight into what was going on in her head, even if he still couldn't hear what she was thinking.

Edward nodded silently, but said nothing, letting his sadness and understanding answer Jasper's silent questions for him.

 **"I'll just drag you back," he threatened, guessing my plan.**

 **I tried to maintain what dignity I could as I got into his car. I wasn't very successful - I looked like a half-drowned cat and my boots squeaked.**

And with that mental image, all of the sudden tension in the room completely evaporated, and Bella huffed in mock annoyance as Emmett began snickering.

 **"This is completely unnecessary," I said stiffly.**

 **He didn't answer. He fiddled with the controls, turning the heater up and the music down. As he pulled out of the parking lot, I was preparing to give him the silent treatment - my face in full pout mode - but then I recognized the music playing, and my curiosity got the better of my intentions.**

"You know what they say Bellsy," Emmett continued to tease her good-naturedly, "Curiosity killed the cat."

Everyone froze for a moment, as if unsure whether that was meant as some sort of threat, before Bella started laughing right alongside her brother.

It wasn't until Bella stopped laughing long enough to utter, "Well this half-drowned curious kitty managed to make it home just fine," that everyone really relaxed, and a humorous understanding fell over the group. Without acknowledging the tension in the room, Bella had explained Emmett's poorly timed joke, and reassured everyone that she was perfectly safe, in one fell swoop.

 **"Clair de Lune?" I asked, surprised.**

 **"You know Debussy?" He sounded surprised, too.**

 **"Not well," I admitted. "My mother plays a lot of classical music around the house - I only know my favorites."**

 **"It's one of my favorites, too." He stared out through the rain, lost in thought.**

 **I listened to the music, relaxing against the light gray leather seat. It was impossible not to respond to the familiar, soothing melody. The rain blurred everything outside the window into gray and green smudges. I began to realize we were driving very fast; the car moved so steadily, so evenly, though, I didn't feel the speed. Only the town flashing by gave it away.**

 **"What is your mother like?" he asked me suddenly.**

 **I glanced over to see him studying me with curious eyes.**

 **"She looks a lot like me, but she's prettier," I said. He raised his eyebrows. "I have too much Charlie in me. She's more outgoing than I am, and braver. She's irresponsible and slightly eccentric, and she's a very unpredictable cook. She's my best friend."**

"Ok, I don't even know where to start with that statement," Paul grumbled, clearly upset about something.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked, confused. Sure her mom was far from perfect, but she did her best, and Bella hadn't said anything upsetting at all this time that she could figure.

"Alright, for one, I very much doubt your mother is prettier than you," Paul began, "Regardless of what Jon and Ian told you about your supposed magical effects on human men, you're beautiful. And I can say that as a shape-shifting wolf warrior who is most definitely not affected by your witchy gifts."

Bella blushed again, but wasn't able to reply before Sam began speaking, "I completely agree with Paul, something I never thought I would say in a million years," he said, earning several laughs throughout the room, "And thanks to my imprinted bond with Emily, I am essentially blind to all other women on top of not being human, so if I say you're gorgeous, you must be damn gorgeous."

Kim and Emily both mock glared at their men as Jared eagerly nodded his agreement, but neither actually seemed upset, and both wholeheartedly agreed that Bella was beautiful, and that she needed to stop putting herself down.

"Then there's the braver comment," Paul continued, "You've been burned by werecats, lycans, witches, and humans in your life. You should have absolutely no reason to trust anyone, and honestly, I think if any of us had been through half the things that you've been through, we would be traumatized as hell. Yet, you're here in a room full of supernatural creatures, and you don't even bat an eye. You have to be the bravest person I have ever met in my entire life."

Bella's eyes were stinging by the end of his little tirade. Paul was basically a stranger when he walked into the Cullen home this morning, and now he was defending her, and his words truly touched her.

"Thank you," she whispered, and they all decided to let the rest of it go. It still bothered them that she thought of her mother as a friend rather than a parent, but that particular grievance had been fairly well covered thus far, and they didn't want to rub salt in the wound for her again.

 **I stopped. Talking about her was making me depressed.**

 **"How old are you, Bella?" His voice sounded frustrated for some reason I couldn't imagine. He'd stopped the car, and I realized we were at Charlie's house already. The rain was so heavy that I could barely see the house at all. It was like the car was submerged under a river.**

 **"I'm seventeen," I responded, a little confused.**

 **"You don't seem seventeen."**

 **His tone was reproachful; it made me laugh.**

 **"What?" he asked, curious again.**

 **"My mom always says I was born thirty-five years old and that I get more middle-aged every year." I laughed, and then sighed. "Well, someone has to be the adult." I paused for a second. "You don't seem much like a junior in high school yourself," I noted.**

 **He made a face and changed the subject.**

 **"So why did your mother marry Phil?"**

 **I was surprised he would remember the name; I'd mentioned it just once, almost two months ago. It took me a moment to answer.**

 **"My mother... she's very young for her age. I think Phil makes her feel even younger. At any rate, she's crazy about him." I shook my head. The attraction was a mystery to me.**

 **"Do you approve?" he asked.**

 **"Does it matter?" I countered. "I want her to be happy... and he is who she wants."**

 **"That's very generous... I wonder," he mused.**

 **"What?"**

 **"Would she extend the same courtesy to you, do you think? No matter who your choice was?" He was suddenly intent, his eyes searching mine.**

"Already wanting my parents' approval before you'd even properly asked me out," Bella teased, poking Edward squarely in the chest. He just laughed, pulling her closely to him.

"Of course," he replied lightly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "And now it appears I must earn Josh's approval as well," he actually sounded a little nervous about that.

"He is sort of like a second father to me," Bella reminded him, before awkwardly glancing at Billy and Carlisle. She had a lot of father figures in her life these days, and that thought made her smile, "But don't worry. He'll love you because I love you."

"It's that simple?" Edward didn't seem convinced.

"It's that simple," she confirmed, planting a chaste kiss on his lips, "You love me. I love you. You make me happy. Once he sees that, nothing else will matter."

Billy and Harry exchanged a short glance at this. They had spent so many months trying to find a way to break these two apart, in order to 'save' Bella, and now they couldn't help but feel like they never really took the time to look and see if she was happy and loved. Maybe losing her vampire would be the opposite of saving her…

 **"I-I think so," I stuttered. "But she's the parent, after all. It's a little bit different."**

 **"No one too scary then," he teased.**

 **I grinned in response. "What do you mean by scary? Multiple facial piercings and extensive tattoos?"**

 **"That's one definition, I suppose."**

 **"What's your definition?"**

 **But he ignored my question and asked me another. "Do you think that I could be scary?" He raised one eyebrow, and the faint trace of a smile lightened his face.**

 **I thought for a moment, wondering whether the truth or a lie would go over better. I decided to go with the truth. "Hmmm... I think you could be, if you wanted to."**

 **"Are you frightened of me now?" The smile vanished, and his heavenly face was suddenly serious.**

 **"No," I answered quickly. The smile returned.**

 **"So, now are you going to tell me about your family?" I asked to distract him. "It's got to be a much more interesting story than mine."**

 **He was instantly cautious. "What do you want to know?"**

 **"The Cullens adopted you?" I verified.**

 **"Yes."**

 **I hesitated for a moment. "What happened to your parents?"**

 **"They died many years ago." His tone was matter-of-fact.**

"Many, many, many years ago," Bella laughed, "Old man," she teased.

"Not all of us can be teenagers, love," Edward responded in the same teasing tone.

"Oh please," came Bella's retort, "You'll be a teenager for the rest of eternity." 'And hopefully, so will I,' she continued silently, though her unspoken intent still hung thick in the air.

 **"I'm sorry," I mumbled.**

 **"I don't really remember them that clearly. Carlisle and Esme have been my parents for a long time now."**

 **"And you love them." It wasn't a question. It was obvious in the way he spoke of them.**

 **"Yes." He smiled. "I couldn't imagine two better people."**

 **"You're very lucky."**

 **"I know I am."**

 **"And your brother and sister?"**

 **He glanced at the clock on the dashboard.**

 **"My brother and sister, and Jasper and Rosalie for that matter, are going to be quite upset if they have to stand in the rain waiting for me."**

 **"Oh, sorry, I guess you have to go." I didn't want to get out of the car.**

 **"And you probably want your truck back before Chief Swan gets home, so you don't have to tell him about the Biology incident." He grinned at me.**

 **"I'm sure he's already heard. There are no secrets in Forks." I sighed.**

 **He laughed, and there was an edge to his laughter.**

"Yeah, no secrets," Charlie jested, "Ok Bells. Only witches, vampires, werewolf native shifter guys, generations' old peace treaties, supernatural blood fueds, and mysterious dream gifts. No secrets at all in Forks…" his tone was fairly sarcastic, but he also wasn't upset. He was just glad he was now in the know.

 **"Have fun at the beach... good weather for sunbathing." He glanced out at the sheeting rain.**

 **"Won't I see you tomorrow?"**

 **"No. Emmett and I are starting the weekend early."**

 **"What are you going to do?" A friend could ask that, right? I hoped the disappointment wasn't too apparent in my voice.**

 **"We're going to be hiking in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, just south of Rainier."**

"Goat Rocks?" Harry asked, surprised, "There's nothing up there. No trails, no good camping spots, nothing. It's wild bear country," he trailed off at the end, obviously answering his own question.

"Emmett likes bears," Rose responded, as if that explained everything, and really it did.

 **I remembered Charlie had said the Cullens went camping frequently.**

"Hunting," Bella supplied helpfully, trying to keep from laughing at the slightly constipated looks on Billy and Harry's faces. As much as the Quileutes were trying to accept the Cullens, the thought of vampires hunting still turned their stomachs, even if they were wrestling grizzly bears instead of hunting homeless people off the city streets.

 **"Oh, well, have fun." I tried to sound enthusiastic. I don't think I fooled him, though. A smile was playing around the edges of his lips.**

 **"Will you do something for me this weekend?" He turned to look me straight in the face, utilizing the full power of his burning gold eyes.**

 **I nodded helplessly.**

 **"Don't be offended, but you seem to be one of those people who just attract accidents like a magnet. So... try not to fall into the ocean or get run over or anything, all right?" He smiled crookedly.**

 **The helplessness had faded as he spoke. I glared at him.**

"It would appear our Bella is beginning to learn how to resist your compulsion there, son," Carlisle offered Edward, with a slight smirk. The good doctor was truly enjoying hearing about this new power and how it worked, but he was also very glad to find that Bella had quickly developed a defense against it.

 **"I'll see what I can do," I snapped as I jumped out into the rain. I slammed the door behind me with excessive force.**

 **He was still smiling as he drove away.**

"And that's the end of the chapter," Jared announced, his sentence ending with a loud yawn.

"And time for the sleepers to get some rest," Bella continued, amused, but also rather tired. This had officially been the longest day, ever.

 **A/N: Yes, I know this seems crazy, but it is still the Friday, immediately following Bella's 18th Birthday. It really has been the longest day, ever. Haha. I have been writing about this one day for months now, as all of you wonderful readers know, but Friday is almost over, and things are going to just keep getting more and more interesting from here. I can't wait to share with all of you what I have in store, and I hope to continue hearing from you all every step of the way. :)**


	11. Chapter 11 Learning to Communicate

**Chapter 11 – Learning to Communicate**

The wolves had been trying their very best to deal with the presence of vampires around their imprints and tribesmen all day, but there was absolutely no way they were going to be able to get any sleep in any of the Cullen's bedrooms, laying on sheets and mattresses saturated in the sickly sweet scent. And that was assuming they had beds at all…

"Perhaps it would be better if we all returned to La Push for the night," Sam gently suggested.

"SM was rather insistent," Alice reminded them, "that we all remain here, and not make any significant decisions until we've read through all the books."

Jared knew what Sam was actually concerned about, and decided to just be up front about it, "It's not that we want to leave," he assured her, trying to be diplomatic about it, "We are just going to have some difficulty sleeping surrounded by your scents."

Luckily Bella foresaw this issue and spoke with Esme long before Sam brought it up.

"Don't worry about that," Bella jumped in, "Esme and I already discussed everything. There's a foldout couch in Carlisle's office that has never been used and should be free of vampire scents. Sam and Emily, you are welcome to stay in there. There's also a large futon in Esme's study that no one uses, that should be long enough for you to sleep on Paul. And Jasper's study has a fairly large open space, which we can set up the large blow-up mattress in for Kim and Jared. It's brand new, and you can set it up yourself so there won't be any unpleasant scents there."

Billy was thoroughly surprised that Bella would have considered this potential discomfort. How had she even known that the wolves would want their own space without the Cullen's scents present?

Esme was showing the wolves to their desired spaces, and Bella continued speaking to the others, "Harry and Sue, you can stay in Carlisle and Esme's bedroom. Old Quil, you are welcome to use Rosalie and Emmett's room. Jacob, you and Billy can stay in Alice and Jasper's room. And this couch in the living room folds out as well, so Ch- Dad, you can stay down here."

Most everyone seemed to accept her proposed arrangement, and Alice led them upstairs to get settled in. Edward remained by Bella's side in the living room with her father after everyone else had gone, knowing he was displeased with something.

"And where will you be sleeping Bella?" Charlie demanded, having deduced precisely where his teenage daughter thought she would be spending the night, and not happy about it in the slightest.

"Edward's room, of course," Bella answered, clearly missing the tension building in the room.

"I don't think I'm comfortable with you sharing a room with your boyfriend," Charlie replied, making an obvious effort to keep his voice calm.

Bella looked shocked for about ten seconds, before she started howling with laughter, "Oh Dad," she spoke through her amusement, "First off, Edward won't be in his room tonight. In case you haven't noticed, most of the family has already slipped out. Edward will be joining them shortly, so they can all hunt tonight. Having humans and wolves in the house is hard on them and they need to get away and feed. But even if he was staying Dad, it wouldn't be a problem."

Charlie went to interrupt, but Edward spoke first, for once actually knowing where Bella was going with this, "I have spent nearly every night with your daughter for the past year Charlie, and I understand you might not be overly thrilled to hear that, but I can assure you that nothing inappropriate has ever transpired under your roof, or anywhere else for that matter. I would never disrespect Bella that way."

Charlie had no idea how to respond to that, "You mean… You're not, you haven't…" he sputtered in his surprise, but the tense lines in his brow eased some.

"Edward and I are both virgins," Bella answered honestly, her face flaming red at having this conversation with her father, especially given at least a few of their guests could likely hear every word, even from their place upstairs, "And when the time comes for us to change that status, it won't be in a crowded house full of supernatural creatures with enhanced hearing and sense of smell," she added with a slight shudder.

Edward had to agree that the thought of making love to his mate while the wolves listened in sounded very uncomfortable, even if a small part of him craved to stake his claim in that way.

Charlie still seemed mildly unnerved at the thought of his little girl sleeping in her boyfriend's bed, or couch in this case, but he understood that it was a matter of space available, and that he wasn't going to win that fight regardless. So, with a defeated sigh, and a silent threat to kick Edward's sparkly, vampire ass if he tried any funny business, he nodded his agreement and started making up the fold out couch for the night.

"Come on, love," Edward took Bella's hand and they made their way up to his bedroom.

They passed Alice on the way and she said simply, "We'll wait for you in the baseball clearing. Take whatever time you need," and then she danced back downstairs and out the door.

"Apparently Alice thinks we need to talk," Bella teased as they entered his room and he softly closed the door behind them.

"She's probably right," Edward admitted.

"Alice is always right," Bella reminded him, laughing, "And after everything that happened yesterday, and then today, I'm not surprised. So, should I go first or would you like to?"

Normally Bella would not have been so forward about this. She would have avoided the problem, and done her best to keep from starting a confrontation of any kind, especially with Edward. But SM's words kept running through her mind over and over again, and Bella had come to the inescapable conclusion that whatever their mystery friend was trying to prevent, lack of communication would only make things worse. Alice seemed to agree, and honestly Bella knew they were both right. She and Edward needed to talk, about everything, and really delve into their issues if they were going to survive this mess as a couple.

"Why don't you go first," Edward offered, trying to put off the inevitable a bit longer.

"Ok," she agreed easily enough, rummaging through the bag Alice had retrieved for her, looking for something to sleep in, "I kept a huge part of my past a secret from you and your family, even after you told me everything about what you are and what you've done. I would understand if you were mad about that," she met his eyes, letting him see she was being completely sincere, "And I am truly sorry for not telling you before. I honestly can't say whether I ever would have told you everything if SM hadn't forced my hand. But it was never about trust," she assured him when he frowned at her admission, "I love you, and I trust you with my life, with my father's life. You are everything to me, and I don't want you to think that any of this changes that for me."

Edward heard the unspoken question, 'Does this change things for you? Do you still love me, knowing what you do now?', even if her mind stayed stubbornly silent.

He pulled her into a tight embrace as he responded, "I don't understand why you felt you couldn't tell me," he began, sounding sad, "But nothing has changed for me either. I love you now as much as, if not more than, I did before. You are passionate and loyal, curious and persistent, brave and resilient. You are an absolute marvel to me, love, and I couldn't imagine ever being with anyone else. You are my life now, and nothing you tell me will ever change that."

She relaxed into his arms, taking comfort in his words as he held her close and placed soft kisses atop her head.

"As for what happened yesterday," Bella began again, consciously making an effort to keep her voice much softer since the rest of their guests were still unaware of the birthday incident, "I should probably talk to Jasper later, but I need you to know that I'm not upset with him, or you, at all. I don't blame him. I'm not angry, and I'm not afraid. I'm sure he's feeling more than a little guilty right now, and with everything that's been thrown at us today, I haven't been able to talk to him yet, but he needs to know I'm fine and we're all good."

Edward knew that she would react like this. His Bella was likely too forgiving and understanding for her own good, but he was still relieved that she wasn't upset with him or his brother. Jasper had been distraught this morning when he thought that he had driven her away, and he was glad that wasn't the case.

"I'll tell him, love," he promised her, "And you two can find a time tomorrow to talk about it too if you want. Jasper will be very happy to hear that you're not upset with him."

She was very quiet for a moment after that, and Edward found himself trying to meet her eyes as she sat, deep in thought. He really wanted to know what was going through her head just then, so finally he asked, "What's wrong?"

"You're not upset with me, are you?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, "About last night I mean. The party, the papercut, Jasper… I should have been more careful. I know how hard it is for all of you, but especially for you and Jasper. I was careless, and I can't help thinking that this whole thing with SM is somehow because of last night. I, I just need to know you're not angry with me. Please…" she finally stopped rambling, turning her big, brown, tear-filled eyes on him.

He was completely thrown for a loop in that moment. She thought that he would be upset with her because she accidentally cut her finger at her birthday party, his brother attacked her, and he threw her through a table and a stack of glass plates.

She was hurt. She could have been killed. And she wasn't upset at all. But she thought he would be angry with her? Edward was completely baffled.

"Hey," he took her chin in his hand and turned her to face him, kissing her lightly, "I'm not upset. It was an accident; it wasn't your fault. I'm just so glad you weren't hurt worse."

She smiled a small, sad smile, and laughed a soft, watery laugh in response, "When you've been through the things I've been through, a papercut and a couple of stitches doesn't even register. It was nothing. Things could have been so much worse, but they weren't. I'm fine. You're fine. Jasper's fine. The family is safe."

"And this thing with SM?" he asked her.

"She told us that she wanted to keep you from making a mistake," Bella said quietly, and he could practically hear the gears turning in her mind, "And the fact that she sent them the morning after my birthday has to mean something. So, if I had to guess, you were more affected by what happened than you've let on, and you were planning to do something drastic in response, something that would hurt both us and the family, and something SM desperately wants to keep you from doing. I don't know what you were planning, and you don't have to tell me right now if you don't want to, but promise me you won't do anything until we've finished reading. Can you do that? Just promise me that you'll see what she's trying to warn us about before you do anything, please…"

After everything he'd learned about her, and everything he'd seen her say and do, he shouldn't have been surprised that she'd basically put the pieces together without him saying anything, but he was still shocked to hear her pleading with him this way. She hadn't said what she was afraid he would do, but she actually did sound afraid, for the first time since he'd known her.

"Please don't leave me," he heard her broken whisper a moment later as her eyes fell closed and a single tear ran down her cheek.

She knew.

Somehow, Bella knew what he'd been planning. She likely didn't understand why, but she knew that he'd been planning to leave, and just the thought of it was clearly hurting her. So, for the second time today, Edward found himself swearing never to make that mistake.

"I promise you Bella," he said, holding her close to his chest as he spoke into her ear, his voice thick with emotion, "I promise I will never leave you. I was a fool to ever even consider it, and I swear to you I will never make that mistake again. I'll not leave your side until you order me away; you have my word."

She held on to him as though he was the most important thing in her world, as she silently cried herself to sleep, and he held her in his arms, gently soothing her fears and reassuring himself that they would never lose one another.

And just before she fell asleep, he swore he heard her soft voice echoing through the room, "Love you Edward."

 **A/N: I hope you liked this little peek into the ever evolving couple's dynamic that is Bella and Edward in this AU. Next chapter, we just might get a look at one of Bella's dreams... As always, thanks for reading and I look forward to reading your reviews. :)**


	12. Chapter 12 Night of the Wolf

**A/N: I know I promised a Bella dream, but this chapter needed to come first I think. Chapter 13 will be the dream. And for all my E &B fans out there, don't worry, we'll see more of Edward in Chapter 14. I hope you like it. :)**

 **Chapter 12 – Night of the Wolf**

Kim was swiveling in Jasper's desk chair, watching her boyfriend attempt to blow up an air mattress. She was trying, and failing utterly, to hide her amusement at his attempts.

"Here," she finally said, standing up and making her way to him, "Jared, you attach the hose piece here," she explained, grabbing the appropriate piece and pointing as she did so, "And then this piece folds out like this, and you attach the other end of the hose to the mattress here. Now just use the pedal here to pump air into the mattress until it's full enough to sleep on."

It seemed fairly simple to her, and if Jared had been willing to just read the instructions, he would have had no trouble at all. But her man was always so stubborn.

"You're a God-send, woman, you know that?" he responded, wrapping her up in his arms, the mattress forgotten for the moment.

"Oh, I know," she replied cheekily, leaning up to kiss him, "But I don't think we're going to make it to the mattress," her fingers weaving into his short hair, holding him tightly to her as their movements became more heated.

Jared caught up to her in a second, lifting his imprint so her legs wrapped around his waist. He kissed her hungrily as he made his way back across the room, to the desk she had been seated at before.

He barely even noticed the distinct scent of leech as he laid her down atop it.

Down the hall, Emily sat cross-legged on the floor of Dr. Cullen's office, completely oblivious to the activities of her pack sister, watching as her boyfriend set up the pull-out bed for them for the evening. If someone had told her this morning that she and Sam would be spending the night in the home of a vampire coven, she would have thought them mad. Yet here they were, and by some miracle, Sam was actually smiling.

She knew of course that his jovial mood was not a result of their current sleeping arrangements. He had found his father. His father was coming home to see him. His father still loved him, and had never wanted to leave him.

Joshua Uley.

How many times had Emily heard that name over the last year and reacted with anger and hatred? He was the good-for-nothing drunk who abandoned his wife and son without so much as a goodbye. He had a legendary temper, and Emily had secretly wondered on more than one occasion if he had ever been abusive to his family before he disappeared.

Now, Josh Levi, the new and improved Joshua Uley, was coming home, and everything she had every thought of Sam's father was being proven wrong. And she couldn't have been happier.

"What's got you thinking so hard?" Sam asked her, bringing Emily out of her thoughts.

"I was just thinking how unexpected today has been," she told him, "I haven't seen you this happy in a long time, and I never thought I'd be able to say that while sitting in the Cullen home of all places." She laughed at the ridiculousness of it all.

"For my entire life, I've been convinced that my father walked out of my life and never looked back," Sam reminded her, "I thought he didn't care about me or Mom. And now, Bella tells me that he left to protect us for the same reason that I disappeared on Leah for over a month when I first changed. He's a good man, and he just did the best he could in an impossible situation. But he still loves me. And now he's coming home." He was truly beaming as he finished speaking, and seeing it brought joy to her heart.

"This whole thing with S.M. had me completely unnerved at first," Emily admitted, "But now, seeing how happy this is making you, I think all of it will be worth it in the end. You are going to see your father in just a few hours, and if he has really become the man that Bella seems to think he is, having him back in your life will be an incredible gift."

Sam couldn't agree more, and his smile only grew as he pulled his imprint to him, and they both fell back on Carlisle's fold out bed, laughing.

In Esme's study, right next door, Paul was laying back on the decorative sofa, listening to his alpha through the thin walls. He had been so angry this morning when Sam called the pack meeting on what was supposed to be his first day off patrols in weeks. His anger had only grown when Sam had told him and Jared about the letters and their Chief's instructions to make their way to the Cullen mansion. He had walked into this house filled with irritation and fury.

Now, as he lay in the peaceful silence of the night, listening to the hushed conversations around the house, he found all his anger was gone. Bella Swan, the ho-qwat he'd considered aligned with his sworn enemies, was bringing his alpha's long-lost father home to him. Bella Swan was reuniting the first wolf of this generation with his son and his pack. How could he stay angry in the face of that?

He had woken up today hating all bloodsuckers, hating Bella for surrounding herself with them, hating Taha Aki for making him live this life, and hating the Cullens especially for awakening the wolf in him.

Now, his hate was gone. Bella had accepted them just as readily as she did the Cullens. She wasn't aligned with vampires against shape-shifters; she just refused to be prejudiced against anyone based on their species. And the Cullens were not the monsters he had always been made to believe they were. They were a family that loved and protected one another, and they had welcomed his pack into their home without question or resistance. They were people, just like him and his pack brothers. How could he hate them now?

Especially knowing that at some point in the last year, they'd protected Bella Swan. He kept hearing that damn preface in his mind over and over again. Someone, very possibly a vampire, had tried to kill her, and she had survived. It didn't take a genius to put the pieces together there. The Cullens had saved her life. They were that girl's heroes, and more than that, they were her family. How could he hate that?

He lay there contemplating everything that he had learned about the mysterious Bella Swan over the last 14 hours. She was an only child, who was torn away from her father as a baby when her parents went through a messy divorce. She was raised by a single parent with barely enough to get by, forced by violent circumstances to start working when she was only 12 years old. She essentially raised herself, and looked after her mother, with little or no help, in the midst of supernatural chaos. Bella had watched friends die right in front of her, and had been abandoned time and again by those she loved and trusted.

And through all of that turmoil, the only constant, the only person she really truly trusted, was a wolf of his tribe, his alpha's father…

It felt as though Bella Swan was inexplicably linked to the pack and the tribe in some way, and Paul had no doubt in his mind that Josh had killed far more than Christof and his sister's coven in her defense. Someone like Bella, who attracted supernatural forces like a magnet, surely would have crossed paths with a vampire before. Had Josh defended her as a child without her even knowing?

And what had drawn Bella to Ally's Corner in the first place? Sure, she needed a job, and one that would pay well under the table, so she could deal with Enrique and take care of herself and her mother. But why that job? Why that pub? Surely, a 12-year-old girl looking to make a little money would not begin her search with an old pub in a dangerous part of town. So what drove Bella to Ally's? What drove her to Josh? Was it possible the spirits had been guiding her somehow? Helping her to stay safe and find her way home?

Normally Paul wasn't an overly spiritual man, and he had had his fair share of reasons to question Taha Aki and the spirits since his first phase, but Bella Swan made him question everything. And the only thing he really knew for sure was that he felt he needed to protect her. He just didn't know why, or from what…

And then he heard a heart-wrenching sound that nearly made his heart stop beating in his chest…

Bella screaming...

 **A/N: Next up, the dream... Thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing your reviews. :)**


	13. Chapter 13 These Dreams I Dream

**Chapter 13 – These Dreams I Dream...**

Bella opened her eyes in the pitch black of the forest. She couldn't remember how she'd gotten here, or what was happening; she could barely see two feet in front of her in the darkness, and she was shivering in the cold night air.

She looked down at her bare feet, covered in mud and snow, and gasped quietly at the dress she found herself in. It was deerskin, adorned with small shells and bead-like river rocks. The dress barely covered her knees, and did very little to keep her warm, but it was clear it was a native American dress of some kind. Quileute maybe?

Shivering, Bella started rubbing her icy hands up and down her bare arms in an effort to ease her goosebumps. Looking around, she saw nothing but trees and rocks in the endless dark.

She didn't know where she was, or which way she needed to go to be free of this frozen forest, but she was fairly sure if she remained where she was, she would freeze to death, so she began trudging off in a random direction, hoping and praying that she would be able to find her way back to town. Whichever town was bordered on these woods…

Bella was far from a girl's scout, but Josh had taught her about the stars, and she knew how to use the North star as a reference in order to navigate. If nothing else, it could help keep her going in one direction and help her avoid wandering in circles alone.

Unfortunately, when she looked up to the sky to find this single reference point, Bella found that the stars were nowhere to be seen. The sky was just as black as the woods around her. No moon, no stars, no map to help her find her way home, wherever home was.

"The stars won't help you here, ho-qwat," a deep voice reached her, seeming to come from the trees to her right, "Only you know the way. Trust yourself and you will find what you seek."

"Who's out there?" Bella called, trying desperately not to panic. Lost in the woods, that would frighten most people. Lost in the woods in winter with no shoes or harsh weather gear, and no memory of entering said woods, that was enough to frighten Bella. Add a disembodied male voice speaking in riddles, that's enough to begin the panic growing in her gut. Something was very, very wrong here, and Bella could feel it deep in her core.

The man did not respond to her call, but the woods did not stay silent for long. Just a few moments later, Bella heard an animal howling in the distance. And then another and another.

Wolves.

Her first instinct was to run in the opposite direction, to put as much distance between herself and the animals as she could. But that felt wrong, an instinctual reaction.

And then the memories began to flood her mind all at once, and she fell to her knees in the snow as she listened to the wolves calling out in the night.

S.M. Josh. Sasha. Pride. Books. Letters. Ian. Jon. Lucas. Witches. Werecats. Shifters. Vampires. Cold Ones. Protectors. Quileutes. Wolves.

Dreams.

Bella realized in that moment what was happening. This wasn't real. None of it was real. She was dreaming; she was likely still sleeping in Edward's bedroom in the Cullen home, safe, surrounded by friends and family.

The wolves' howls were becoming more insistent, and Bella's fear evaporated as she realized this was a spirit dream, and those wolves very likely were not animals at all.

"Trust myself," Bella whispered, remembering the man's advice, "But what am I seeking?"

She had no answers, but she pondered that as she walked silently towards the sounds of the wolves in the distance. She hoped that her dream wolves were really Sam and his pack, maybe even Josh. And she really hoped that dream wolves would be accompanied by dream shoes and dream blankets and a big dream bonfire. She laughed at this thought as she continued to trudge barefoot through the ice and snow, shivering uncontrollably.

And then she stopped in her tracks at the sound of a twig breaking directly behind her. Someone, or something, was following her through the woods in her dream. Someone was there in the dark with her, and she was too afraid to turn around and look.

"Keep walking child," the man's voice was back, behind her this time, "Your journey's just begun, and you have far still to go."

Bella could feel warm breath at the nape of her neck, and every fiber of her being either wanted to turn on this man and demand answers, or run for her life. But she resisted. Instead, she began walking again, slowly, still approaching the wolves, and said quietly, "Where am I going?"

It wasn't the question most people would have asked, but then most people would never find themselves wandering a dream as vivid as this, speaking to mysterious strangers in the dark woods. And somehow Bella knew that was the most important of her questions in that moment. The man had said to trust herself. So had S.M. That was why she was here after all. So if her gut was telling her that was the question to ask, then that was the one she'd let flow from her lips.

"Only you know," he told her, his voice fading into the distance behind her as she kept walking, "It is up to you the path you choose to take." And then he was gone. Bella didn't know how she knew since she had never even seen him in the darkness, but she knew he wasn't with her there anymore. Whoever he was, he was gone now.

A few moments later, Bella noticed some light up ahead, filtering through the trees in front of her. The sounds of wolf howls had quieted and then stopped altogether, but she continued to move towards where she had heard them. And now, towards the thinning trees and the light she somehow knew she needed to reach.

And as she stepped through the last of the trees, and into the sunlight, she felt her feet leave the ice and make contact with warm, soft, dry sand. She was stepping out of cold and darkness, and into warm and light.

And that was when she saw them. Three men in buckskin pants with the same decorative adornments as her dress, all sitting together on the sand, looking out at an ocean. They were very clearly Quileute, and as Bella's eyes roamed the beach, she realized it was actually La Push. First beach to be exact. She even found her eyes drawn to the piece of driftwood she and Jacob had rested on all those months ago.

"Hello?" Bella spoke near silently, still somewhat hesitant to approach who she could only assume were three wolf shifters, even if this was a dream. Were they Sam, Paul, and Jared? It was impossible to tell in the blinding light when all three faced away from her.

She took a step towards the men, curious, unsure, but not afraid. They turned towards her then, and she found she didn't recognize them, though the tallest one in the middle looked a lot like Jacob. "We are glad you have come, young one," Jacob's look-alike greeted her, his voice kind.

Bella had a million questions she wanted to ask, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, she felt herself being dragged back into the darkness.

Cold hands holding her arms in an iron grasp, pulling her away from the tribesmen, back into the freezing woods, back into the night. She fought against their hold, unable to free herself. She knew her arms were beginning to bruise from the force of the hold, and she had to remind herself that this wasn't real; it was only a dream.

But God, did it hurt… No dream should ever feel like this. It felt too real, too painful, and her heart began to race in her chest as she was dragged deeper and deeper into the blackness from whence she'd come.

"Let me go!" she finally yelled out, yelping in pain as the grip on her arms tightened even more.

But they'd stopped moving, and as the darkness closed in tightly around them, she heard a woman's voice in her ear, "You'll pay for what you've done."

The cold hands released her then, and she fell to the ground at the woman's feet, terrified, awaiting a blow that never came.

Finally, she looked up from the icy ground. Right into a pair of furious red eyes…


	14. Chapter 14 Time to Come Clean

**Chapter 14 – Time to Come Clean**

Edward slipped out of his room only moments after his mate had fallen asleep, quickly making his way out of the house to meet up with the rest of his family.

When he made his way into the baseball clearing, he found himself bombarded with six anxious mental voices. The whole family was waiting for him, and none of them were even contemplating hunting right now.

They had questions. And he wasn't sure he'd be able to give them any answers.

There was an awkward beat of silence as they all tried to decide what to ask first, a silence only broken when Edward finally spoke quietly, "Bella is asleep, and the others are making themselves at home," he turned to his mother and continued, "You and Bella were right about the sleeping arrangements. The wolves all seemed comfortable enough when I left."

He knew none of them really cared in that moment about the status of the group still present in their home, though Esme did smile slightly at his praise. They wanted to know how Bella was handling everything. They wanted to know who the hell S.M. was and why she sent her books. Esme, Alice, and Carlisle wanted to know what grave mistake Edward had been about to make that set this whole day in motion. Edward knew all of this, but was putting off answering their questions as long as possible, afraid of the reactions he knew would be a result.

"I think we really need to talk Edward," Carlisle finally spoke, his voice calm, but laced with the authority of the coven leader. He did not usually set himself apart from his family in that way, but after the day they had all had, he knew he needed answers from his son, and he needed them now.

"Yes, I suppose we do," Edward admitted, still somewhat stalling.

"Do you know who this S.M. person is?" Esme began, asking the easy question that they all already knew the answer to. He didn't know. Bella didn't know. No one did. But someone still needed to ask.

"No, I have no idea," Edward was pleased his mother had begun with the one question no one could be upset with him about.

"And Bella doesn't either, right?" Carlisle asked next.

"No. And as she pointed out when I asked her earlier, S.M. herself said we didn't know her yet in one of her letters."

"It's the 'yet' that concerns me," Jasper commented, "Whoever she is, she is obviously powerful, and she clearly knows far more about this family than any of us should be comfortable with."

"Agreed," Carlisle responded, thoughtful, "But she also seems to genuinely want to help us for some reason, and everything we've seen so far suggests she at least cares very deeply for Bella, or she will someday. I don't think we need to be concerned about her as a threat, at least not yet."

"I think the wolves probably feel the same way," Rosalie added, "Because of S.M., Sam is going to be reunited with his father in the morning. I'm sure their opinion of our mystery woman is fairly high right now."

Jasper knew she was right, having felt the immense gratitude and peace coming from the Quileutes after the revelations about Josh earlier in the evening.

"So if S.M. is one of the good guys," Emmett began, looking over at Edward nervously, "Why do we think she sent us the books?"

Edward knew that his brothers and Rosalie all already knew about his disastrous plan to leave Bella behind, cutting all ties from her, for her own protection. And they also knew that based on the letters and everything they had learned so far about Bella, S.M. most likely sent the books to keep Edward from executing that plan. But Emmett wasn't sure if Carlisle or Esme knew about any of that yet, or how much Edward planned to tell them, so he had hesitantly brought it up hoping to get the fight out of the way right out of the gate.

Edward could see all of this in his mind of course and let out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment, before he turned to his parents and said simply, "S.M. sent these when she did to keep me from making the biggest mistake of my existence. Obviously, there is a lot more to it than that given how much of Bella's story she sent, and all of the other things that she forced to come to light today. But she sent them today because she needed to stop me from doing something incredibly stupid."

"And what is she trying to prevent?" Carlisle asked, his voice slightly strained. If it was bad enough to warrant all of this, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Edward hesitated, glancing at his siblings that were already in the know, unsure what to say. Jasper sensing this silently instructed him, 'Just spit it out. Like ripping off a band aid,' while simultaneously sending his brother waves of calm.

"After what happened at her party last night," he began, noting the slight realization that passed through Alice's eyes, "I had decided to leave Forks for good. I intended to convince you all today that it was time for us to move on from this place," he paused for a moment, really not wanting to finish, but knowing he had to tell them the truth, "And I intended to leave Bella behind…"

Alice looked utterly murderous as she screamed a wordless shriek of frustration and anger, her eyes quickly becoming completely black. "You wanted to leave your mate behind? You wanted to make us leave our sister behind?! Bella is family! Are you out of your bloody mind?!"

Edward had no adequate reply, having already had this fight with his other siblings earlier, and knowing he was so wrong to have even considered this, so he remained silent, casting his eyes down in guilt and shame.

Jasper pulled his mate into his arms, trying to soothe her with his gift, while Emmett spoke up, "Don't worry Alice. Jasper, Rose, and I already read him the riot act on this one. Edward knows just how stupid he was being and has promised never to try something like this again. Isn't that right brother?"

Edward nodded silently, more thankful than his family would likely ever know that they had been able to dissuade him from this course before he hurt his Bella that way.

Carlisle looked ready to reprimand his son, though a small part of him could understand where Edward might have been coming from, but before he could open his mouth to speak, they all heard a sound in the distance that stopped them dead in their tracks.

Bella's screams.

No one spoke a word as the family ran for the house at their top speed. The clearing was almost two miles from the house, and if it wasn't such a quiet night, they might not have heard her cries at all. But they had, and they were bounding up the front steps only moments later.

Edward, being the fastest in his family, entered first and made his way up the stairs to his bedroom. He found Paul and Sam both at Bella's bedside trying to wake her without success. Emily, Kim, and Jared were all gathered in the doorway to his room, and were quickly joined by the rest of his family. Charlie and the other humans were all awake now in the hallway outside his room, looking confused.

Edward placed his cold palm against her flushed cheek, and was thoroughly surprised when she jerked away from his touch. She was clearly still trapped in her dream, but she had never shied away from him, even in her unconscious state, and it worried him greatly.

"Bella?" he called to her softly, trying to rouse her as she continued to thrash on his couch, her expression one of pain and fear, "Bella, please wake up."

Nothing happened for a moment, and then Paul gasped aloud, causing Sam and Edward to glance down at the pale hand he still held in his grasp. There, plain as day, bruises were beginning to form around Bella's upper arms, in the distinct shapes of fingers. What the hell was happening to her?

"Come on Bella," Edward continued to plead, no longer trying to touch her, "Come back to us. Wake up, love. Please wake up."

And then she sat bolt upright, her eyes darting around the room as if looking for some threat to her, her breathing ragged. Finally, her eyes landed on Edward and she threw herself into his arms, breathing in his scent and allowing the feel of his arms around her to ease her fears and calm her down.

"Shhh," he cooed, kissing her temple sweetly as he held her close, "You're ok. It was just a dream. You're safe now."

And with that, everyone else exited the room, giving the couple some semblance of privacy as she drifted back to sleep in his arms. For now, they were all simply pleased that Bella was alright and they were content to let her rest.

But they all also knew that when it came to Bella, nothing was ever just a dream. And if her terrified screams weren't enough, the dark bruises they had all seen forming on her ivory skin would have made it clear, she was far from safe…


	15. Chapter 15 Molly Swan

**TWILIGHT READING TWILIGHT BOOK 2**

 **RATHER DIE THAN STAY AWAY**

 **Copyright Disclaimer:** Stephanie Meyer is the sole owner of all Twilight Universe intellectual property, including but not limited to Twilight characters, Twilight plotlines, and all included Twilight text. This story is a fanfiction commentary on her work and no copyright infringement is intended. I own nothing.

 **Summary:** The Cullens' home is now filled with curious shape-shifters, imprints and Quileute elders, all desperate to hear the rest of Bella's story. How much can one weekend really change things? And what other secrets does Bella have in her past, waiting to be exposed?

 **A/N: I am so very sorry to all of my readers that this update has taken so long. I am very excited for this one and the next few in the works, and should hopefully be able to update this story more often in the coming months. Thank you all for all of your unending support on this project. TRT is truly a joy to write, and reading your PMs and reviews for this series never ceases to warm my heart. I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter.**

 **Chapter 15 – Molly Swan**

Carlisle listened to his son gently humming in the bedroom above him as he rocked Bella back to sleep. He knew that Edward would not be letting go of her again until she awoke, but it was also painfully clear to him that no one else was going to be able to sleep for quite some time after what they'd all just witnessed.

He looked around his kitchen and took in the worried frowns adorning every one of the faces before him. Human, wolf, and immortal alike, joined in confusion and fear for the young woman sleeping above their heads.

Esme began filling the tea kettle and asked gently if anyone would like a cup as she placed it atop the stove. Several heads nodded their thanks, but no one spoke. No one could seem to collect and verbalize their thoughts in that moment.

Finally, Charlie sighed and spoke, his voice soft, tired, "You all know Bella never spent a great deal of time in Forks growing up. I didn't see her nearly as much as I would have liked. But it would have been impossible to miss the nightmares when she was little. She'd wake up crying almost every night, but she never told me what she was dreaming about, not once. And eventually I thought she stopped having them. But now…"

"She just stopped letting you know that it was happening," Billy finished, understanding. It was normal for little girls to have bad dreams. It was even normal for kids to hide their nightmares from their parents after a certain age out of a belief that they are too old for such things. There was no way Charlie could have known that Bella's dreams were anything but normal childhood fears.

"How could I have missed, _that_?" Charlie whispered, "How could I not have seen that kind of fear, that much pain?"

"No one knew about Sasha, or Ian, or Lucas, or Enrique," Harry reminded his friend, "Bella is stronger than anyone gave her credit for, and she has been hiding a lot of hurt for a long time. Keeping quiet about her dreams isn't really all that surprising, especially given everything she's told us about the werecats' reactions to them."

Harry knew that there was more to it than that though. Bella may have been good at keeping secrets, and at hiding her own pain, but there is no way that her father wouldn't have heard her screaming in the middle of the night in her bedroom, right down the hall from his own. So either tonight's dream was much worse than normal, or she hadn't really had one of this caliber since arriving in Forks.

"She said she was fighting them, the dreams," Alice reminded them all, a faraway look in her eyes, "She said bits and pieces still got through, but she hasn't openly accepted her gift. With S.M.'s warnings and her insistence that Bella open herself up to this gift…"

"You think she purposefully let it in?" Jasper asked, looking horrified. He had felt her terror, her confusion, her physical pain. There was no way that anyone could ask that of her; it was just wrong to expect her to willingly go through that every time she closed her eyes.

"It's the only explanation that makes any sense," Alice said sadly, "And you know Bella. If she believed that even one of us might be in danger, and her dreams might be able to help, do you really think she would be willing to sit back and do nothing?"

No one responded to her words. They all knew she was right. And the idea that this might become a nightly occurrence was not something that any of them wanted to think about, much less discuss.

Old Quil couldn't stay silent any longer, watching the pained expressions of his tribesmen and friends around him. "I think I might be able to help her," he spoke quietly, but firmly, an edge of determination seeping into his tone, "I have never seen such a strong physical manifestation of a dream gift, but Bella is not the first person I have known who could travel the spirit world during the night."

Carlisle was surprised to hear the most reserved member of the tribal elders offering his aid, but he quickly covered his shock before responding in a curious tone, "Who was it, this other gifted person you knew? Were their abilities very similar to Bella's?"

The old man actually laughed lightly in response, eyes crinkling as they filled with a joyous memory. "My wife," he answered simply, "Her maiden name was Molly Swan."

"Swan?" Charlie sounded shocked. He had never heard Old Quil speak of his wife, and she had died when he was just a baby so he didn't know her. In all his life, he'd never realized that he might have had other family here.

"Yes Charlie," Old Quil told him, "Molly was your father's younger sister. He brought Marie, your mother, to Forks for our wedding. The rest of the Swans were so angry with Molly for becoming involved with a Native American that they turned their backs on her entirely after we announced our engagement. They were no more forgiving towards Charles when he supported her and came here for the ceremony. I don't think either of your parents or my Molly ever spoke with the Swans again after that day. Charles and Marie decided to stay here in Forks to be close to Molly, and you were born within the year."

"What happened to Molly?" Charlie asked hesitantly, not wanting to bring up any unpleasant memories for the older man, but also realizing that this was a piece of his own history, and his daughter's, and that it might be important to what was happening to them all now.

Old Quil looked equally hesitant for a moment, but eventually he replied with a sad sigh, "She drowned. You were only a couple of years old, so I'm sure you don't remember her, but she loved you as much as she did our own sons."

"Sons?" This time it was Billy's turn to question the older man. He, Harry, and Charlie had all been incredibly close to Old Quil's son, Quil Ataera the fourth, but they had always believed he was an only child.

"You all knew Quil," he responded quietly, "But he was not my eldest son. No, Molly and I named our eldest son after her brother and my dear friend. Charles was two years old when… when," he broke off as he become overwhelmed with emotion.

"My God, Quil," Harry uttered, realizing that the man he had so often thought of as a second father had lost both his wife and his eldest child. It was the sort of horrible fate that would have completely broken a lesser man.

"Molly had dreams too," he finally revealed, explaining why he was telling them all this, "She would often search the spirit realms for answers, and her visions were a vital guiding force for our family and the tribe. Ephraim often sought her council as chief back then. The day that… the day she died, she woke from one of the most intense dreams she had ever had, jumped out of our bed and started running for the docks panicked.

There was a young girl on the reservation who often watched the boys for us; her name was Anna. That morning Anna had taken Charles and little Quil out on the rowboat. They never went very far, but Charles loved the water, and sometimes they would be able to see dolphins near the cliffs.

I didn't know what was going on, but I had learned long ago to trust my wife's dreams with my life, so I followed her to the docks, and when she dove straight off the end into the freezing water I went in right after her.

There was a storm blowing in that morning; it had come out of nowhere after Anna and the boys were already out on the water, and they got caught in it in that tiny little boat. Molly and I were almost to them when… we watched as the boat was smashed up against the rocks at the base of the cliffs," Old Quil continued speaking in a hushed, pained voice, silent tears tracking down his wrinkled cheeks, "We were too late.

I grabbed Anna and little Quil and hauled them out of the water while Molly dove in after Charles. By the time I had them safely out of the water, Molly was nowhere to be seen. The currents must have pulled her under or hit her against the rocks. We never found either of their bodies, but neither my wife nor my eldest son ever made it out of the water."

"Quil," Billy spoke through his own tears, squeezing the man's trembling shoulder in the only sign of comfort he could muster, "I am so very sorry."

"My wife saw Anna and our children die, and thanks to her swift actions, Anna and little Quil both survived. If Molly couldn't save Charles, then no one could have. I came to terms with it a long time ago," he answered, drying his tears and trying to recover his usual calm demeanor.

No one was sure what to say or do. The seemingly never ending emotional revelations of the day were like a weight filling the room.

It was Bella's voice that broke the silence a moment later, surprising everyone, as not even the supes had heard her and Edward join them in the kitchen. "I am sorry for your loss, uncle," she whispered, quickly crossing the room and pulling the old man into a tight embrace.

Hugging her tightly to him, the tribal elder pressed a soft kiss to the crown of her head, his eyes closed tightly. "You are so like her, little one," he whispered, "You are family Bella, and I swear on all the ancestors, I will help you through this any way I can."

 **A/N: Molly Swan is another character in the Twilight Saga that is mentioned once or twice, but never really explained, and very rarely featured in Fanfiction works for the fandom. I know that some people might not like my inclusion of her history (most of which is of my creation since Meyer doesn't elaborate much about her in the cannon work), but I think that this is an important link between Bella and the tribe that will be vital to my plans for this series. Please let me know what you think. I look forward to reading all of your wonderful reviews.**


	16. AN

**THIS IS NOT A NEW CHAPTER... But there will be one very soon... :)**

 **A/N: I am so sorry everyone for the long wait on updates across all of my stories. I have been dealing with a tremendous amount of personal struggles over the last several months, and I know it's no excuse for neglecting all of my wonderful readers, but I am sorry all the same. I just wanted to let you know that I have not abandoned my stories, and I am working on updates as we speak, so the long wait is almost over. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my stories in the last few months, and thank you to everyone who is still reading my work despite the long wait.**


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